The Poverty Bay Herald. AND East Ooast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, JULY 29, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 847, 29 July 1879, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Herald. AND East Ooast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, JULY 29, 1879.

There are a few matters, which m the interests of Poverty Bay, we ■would desire to place prominently before our •representative m Parliament. . His constituents here, have had very little opportunity of directing his attention to their local requirenients, and so far as we have observed, the member for the East Coast District has seldom, by personal contact, endeavored to " win the sweet voices" of this portion of his constituency. He has apparently abstained from acquainting them with his intentions relative to very important matters before the House -affecting their interests, and., m other respects Be has completely ignored them. We would, therefore, place before him m a categorical manner, a few of the more urgent needs of this community, and request him as he values the support of those .who helped to place him m the honorable position he now | occupies, to give his utmost support to them, as being conducive to their interests. "(1.) A. periodical session of the Supreme Court at Gisborne. TniiHs absolutely required m order that facilities may be given to determining . questions of title to land, •which frequently occur. At present litigants have not only to suffer from the laws delay," but are inflicted with heavy expenses consequent upon the actions being heard out of the dis-trict—-perhaps at Napier or Wellington. Not only is there this evil attendant upon the present system, but numbers of persons are debarred —deterred we should say — from approaching a Court of Justice, by reason of the expense and many hindrances, chosing rather to suffer " the ills they have,' than to fly to those they know not of.' The like objections apply with even greater force to criminal cases being heard elsewhere than m this district, as the expense incurred is so much waste of public money. The resolutions passed at last night's meeting to memorialise the Minister of Justice, , will, doubtleas, call the attention of the Government to the matter, but the support of members m the House is wanted to bring the matter to the desired fait accompli. (2.) A permanent sitting of the Native Lands Court to investigate Native|titles to land m the district. Nothing can be more un-

satisfactory than the itinerant proceedings of the Lands Court, as now conducted. The Court, when sitting m Gisborne, proceeds with a few cases, receives evidence, and adjourns without determining and granting titles m more than one or two instances. As much of the prosperity of the East Coast district is intimately bound up with the question of settlement and sub-division of titles of native lauds, we would place this prominently among the list of onr requirements. (3.) The Gisborne and Ormond Railway. Not long since the Borough and Cook County Councils addressed a communication to the Hon. the Minister for Public Works, asking that a sum not exceeding .£20,000 be placed on the estimates for the construction of this line. The plans and all the necessary information having been forwarded; Captain Morris, M H.R., can be fully acquainted with the matter, and m the public interests, as well as those of his constituency, wo. desire that he should obtain that sum as an appropriation for the purpose. We need hardly state that as yet, although contributing largely to the revenue through * the Customs and Land Fund, the County of Cook has as yet i*eceived not a fraction of the expenditure voted for public wotks. (4.) The Borough Reserves. This is a matter which has been repeatedly before the public, and innumerable communications have been sent, but no satisfactory reply has been received. Well, . the whole auestiou could be settled by an application from Captain Morris, M.H.R., to have these reserves immediately vested m the Borough. These reserves being of considerable value, ought at once to be obtained. (5.) Special settlement of the Motu Block. A large tract of valuable agricultural country a few miles m the interior is now at the disposal of the Government. • There are numbers both m the Bay and elsewhere m the colony, industrious and thrifty men, desirous of settling on the land — sons of old colonists, and old colonists themselves - — who should be allowed the opportu nity of acquiring homesteads m this Block m the same manner,' and on the same conditions asourKatikati friends received theirs. A petition, bearing on this matter, now m course of signature, will shortly be presented to the House, through our representative, and to this also we would respectfully request him to accord his best support. There are other matters which might be mentioned, but if we can only succeed m obtaining attention to the foregoing, we shall be aniply satisfied.