THE LATE NATIVE MEETING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume 6, Issue 595, 9 January 1879, Page 2

THE LATE NATIVE MEETING.

To the Editor of the Evening Herald. Sir, — The Gisborne Standard of some few days b^ck, contained a lengthy report of the proceedings at a meeting of natives, called at the instance of the irrepressible W. L. Rees, solicitor, to discuss native matters, and this connected with Read's estate m particular, and my name being mentioned, it demands some notice from me. The report is too lengthy to publish, but I append extracts, together with a short reply to each, and as the subject matter is of great public importance, I beg you will kindly .publish the same. I have no doubt whatever, but that the natives are being foolishly excited and led to believe that they have claims winch do not exist and that the result must tend seriously to destroy the confidence of the natives m the honesty of Europeans generally, as also m the justice of the Courts of Law—for I do feel perfectly certain that there is not one just claim against the Estate of the late G. E. Read, the Trustees having always been anxious, willing and ready to pay m the most liberal spirit ; but of course they cannot squanderthe funds entrusted to their care so as to satisfy unreasonable people, The Trustees have no more inducement to favor tho heirs to the property than to honestly liquidate all just debts, and the action of Mr. Rees does not fall short of attributing dishonesty to the Trustees, dishonesty for which they could have no motives. It is true that m some of the Lands belonging to the Estate there are shares of infants and other

natives which the Trustees cannot legal liquidate, but they will be too glad to assist the Government m settling the value to be paid for these shares and paying the same, or m having the Lands subdivided by survey, and portions set aside to the owners, but on getting this done I utterly fail to see m what way Mr. Rees can assist, and I do earnestly hope that the proper authorities will see the necessity of quickly inquiring into this astounding mode of procedure on the part of members of the Assembly and a solicitor of the Supreme Court, with a view of rendering it unnecessary for the natives to do without any legal, champion, by having an early sitting of the Native Lands Court m Poverty Bay. The feeling on the East Coast is that of anxiety and doubt, arising from two causes — the ridiculous attempts of such men as the clients of Mr. Rees, m attempting to invalidate sales of land made years ago at low prices, when all lands were low-priced, and the equally strange conduct of the Government m frustrating the completion of titles to land sold by natives to Europeans. Every letter I receive from the Coast is filled with lamentations and doleful forebodings. This system of vesting lands already sold to Europeans by natives, by deeds of conveyance from the grantees to trustees, as advocated by Mr. Rees, cannot but do harm to the district. Public Meeting Natives at Gisborne. 1. .Extract. — Mr. Rees said he had consented to act as the legal adviser of the natives of the East Coast district from Waipu to Napier, and explained that a thorough investigation was being made into the nature of the title to various blocks of lands to Europeans, &c, &c. ' 1. Reply. — The consent of Mr. Rees was no doubt willingly given if there is truth m the reported burst-up of the bubble at Napier, which lias put a stop to Native Law Suits there. 2. Extract. — It was especially necessary that prompt action should be taken as the estate of the late Captain Read was about to be sold by the Executors, &c, &c. 2. Reply. — Are the Tustees at all likely to do injustice to any just claimant, and m whose hands would the Natives be safest ; In those of Mr. Rees, .or the Trustees 1 3. Extract. — It was his duty to see that the natives obtained their rights m regard to the disputed Lands with the Trustees. 3. Reply. — The method adopted by the native clients of Mr. Rees to get him to take charge of Native Lands, reminds me of the old song, " Oh, come into my parlour, said the spider to the fly ;" or the devotion of the humble client Mr. Bardell, to those eminent legal functionaries, Messrs. Dodson and Fogg. 4. Extract. — For the protection of the native claimants, it was necessary that immediate steps should be taken m the Supreme Court. 4.i Reply. — I would not insinuate that fees or self-interest had any weight with the generous Mr. Rees m rushing to the Court, but I must be allowed to protest against the insinuation, that the Court is m any way required to obtain justice from the Trustees. 5. Extract. — The mode m which land sales and leases had been conducted m days gone by, m Governmental, as well as m private transactions, m many cases at figures far below actual worth, and without the slightest tangible benefit accruing to the original owners. 5. Reply. — When the late Captain Read purchased much of the land, it was hawking about at a shilling or two per acre, and was dear at that price to many who were brutally murdered by the Te Kooti band. It would have been more honest information to have told the natives that European settlement had so increased the value of all their unsold lands that they had a good bargain, through the European bringing with settlement, law, f justice, safety to life, and increased value of all property. Even if they had given away for nothing the lands acquired by the pioneer settlers, who were the means of bringing about the settlement of the colony, they would have profited by such a mode of procedure through the increased value of unsold land. 6. Extract. —Mr. Rees had no desire to bring any accusations against the Europeans, for it could not be denied that the natives themselves were hugely to blame ; the time had now fully arrived when the natives should turn and earnestly direct their attention •to the better administration of their affairs — they should not get into debt. They should elect two or three trustees who could institute proceedings m the Supreme Court. In cases where it might be found that the title to small holdings obtained by the Europeans from the late Captain Read was found to be imperfect, he strongly urged the propriety of the Native owners m such cases dealing with the greatest leniency, as it would be hard upon those persons who were innocent of deception to suffer" for the action of others. 6. Reply. — These statements remind me of the sayings of such celebrities as Pecksniff, Uriah Heap, and other such gentlemen. The estate is quite able to complete every title of land sold years ago on deferred payment, and will do so without a murmur, although the lands may now be worth ten times the price at which they were sold by the late Captain Read. The Trustees are not so dishonest as to imitate the action of certain rascally natives m repudiating bona fide sales made years ago on such silly pretences as having been sold below value. — Yours &c., J. S. Macfarlane. Auckland, 31st Dec, 1878.