NATIVE LANDS.
TARANAKI GRIEVANCES.
MAORIS WAIT* ON THE MINISTER. •. ' ' ' WELLIN&XON, November 8. r A large crowd- of Natives from Taranaki • waited 1 jon the Nativfe Minister (the Hon.
!J. Carroll) to-day. The Public Trustee (Mr J. W. Poynton) was also preeent. f ' Mr W. F. Alassey, M.P., in introducing -.the deputation,- laid he expressed n6 j opinion on the legal questions -which* might aiise, but he thoroughly agreed Xvi'tK their desire to be put in a position to manage tlwir own affairs. - The spokesman of the deputation (Mr Kau'ncpnku) said he came along to p?ace before the Minister, "lhe disabilities which bad commenced in 1880. He <*ame-to aik the Minister to give him back the lan-ls between Waitotara and the White-Cliffs. . The owners of those lands were present. - Dr Pomare then read a petition to the Minister. It was from -the representatives of a number of tribes asking the repeal of ! the West Coast Settlements Reserves Act, ! and to place- their- lands under the ordinary Crown grants. The act, it was urged, was a violation of the Treaty of Wuitangi and various proclamations, be- | sides being a trampling underfoot of the Crown grant* of her late Majesty Qnfifn Victoria. It prevented the utilisation of the land by the Natives themselves, and thus promoiad communism and gave power to the Public Trustee to take their lands and lease them for ever. It placed the Public Trustee in the position of a tyTant ia-stead of boing their loving father, looking after the welfare of his children by making adequate provision for their immediate needs as welt as their future requirements. They prayed that the leasing of tlieir lands be not continued, and that the lande the leases of which are falling due bo returned to them, and that the Government would seek some road by which then- lands leased by the Public Trustee for all time be returned to them. They realised that in order to avert extinction they mus-t become active farmers, and not merely vent-receivers. Th«y also asked that provision be made for those members of the tribes who were not included in. the Crown grant, and who are now landless. The Minister, in replying, said he hoped that as the result of their visit the Government would be able to do something at anyrate in the direction that was asked. The Government would carefully and seriously consider the position, and he hoped it would be able to remedy any serious disadvantage from which the Maori* might be suffering. 'The Government was at present engaged in consolidating the various acts relating to Native land, and it would be able to consider the claims of the deputation in connection «.rith that consolidation.— (Applause.) He could not go into the past in connection with the subject. All they had to do to-day was to consider the existing position,* because after all they could not blame him for any trampling. "You and I have both trampled on other arrangements when the most solemn arrangein ent-5 were entered into between representatives, of both races. In the first instance some of each side trampled upon those sacred obligations. Of course, it caussd no end of/ argument, and laised no end of difficulties, and there was war. A commission was set up. and it was on the basio of the recommendations of the commission that the existing legislation affecting these lands was passed and the Public Trustee was given his present power.?." The difficulty with the Crown grants was that after they were issued war took place, and changed the whole position. On the other hand, if those lands had not been tied up in some such way they would at the present moment be entirely landless, and so, after all, he thought they mus.t admit that, the Public Trustee having charge of their lands, they remained to them at the present day. Without going into regrets, let them deal with the existing condition of things a. 1 ? fair and lational men. There were 18.391 acres leased by the Public Tnistc-e winch were not under perpetual lease, and he
knew that tb*©. active pakeha was a renewal o£ these leases. The fa-called perpetual lease was for 21 years, with' pexpebual right of renewal, and the pakeha was urging that the 18,000 acres should be brought under the same category Ho, was afraid thafc they would have to admit ' with him that the lands under ' lease could not be interfered with. The Government was not inclined to place the 18,000 acres .under perpetual lease, but the pakeha was urging that course,, and they must see how they got on. He did not know that the Government " could promise to hand over the 18,000 acres to be dealt with as they liked, because- there would be differences as to how it should .be managed. He ' did not think it was right that the pakeha should claim' the right of perpetual renewal. — (Applause.) If there was any system by which they could get the lands and work them by • the sweat of their brow he was , with them, ' as it would be a good thing for themselves and for the Dominion -generally. He bopsd. they vrould remain united in their endeavours for their own improve.roent. He wad afraid Parliament would rise before Christmas, and he could* hold out no hope that any amendment of the West Coast Settlements Reserves Act ■would be brought down this session. The programme had been laid down* and could not be altered. He would discuss the matter with the Public Trustee, and go thoroughly into the whole question with him. In some additional remarks, the Minist/ar put before the deputation the necessity of only striving after the attainable, and not wasting their energies in fruitless efforts. It was no use endeavouring to interfere with vested interests, and the owners should copfine their endeavours to those areas which, had not already passed out' of their hands. Besides the 18,000 acres, the-ieases of which were falling in, there was an area of some 27,000 acres which had not yet passed out of their hands. He was quite prepared" between now and next session to consider the question of* those, lands, and to* endeavour\o formulate a scheme whereby .they might be enabled to deal with them.
QUESTION OF CONTROL. WELLINGTON, November, 11. The members of the Maori ''deputation which waited on Mr Carroll on Mondays with the request that the control of the west coast ( Taranaki V reserves be taken out of the hands of the Public Truttee and handed over to the Natives interested interviewed Sir J. G. Ward to-day, "i Te Rangi Hiroa, M.P., who introduced the deputation, said that those present represented the principal tribes of Taranaki, and were desirous of becoming citizens in the true sense of the word, and wished to cultivate their own land*.
Sir Jofceph said he was familiar with the troubles .of , the pntt, and knew what the desires of the deputation were. Their request would receive' the best attention of the Government. He was convinced that the Maoris, in working their lands, were taking a course which would be in the interests, of their -families. The times had changed. Te Whiti and Tohu had passed away," and the Government would do what it could with the balance of the Native lands left in order to help the Maoris. Had it not been for the control of the west coast lands by the Public Truttee he was afraid many areas would have been sold, and then a number of Native people would have become impoverished. He urged the Maoris to go in for the dairy industry.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 8
Word Count
1,277NATIVE LANDS. Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 8
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