NATIVE TRUSTEE BILL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15320, 16 September 1920, Page 5

NATIVE TRUSTEE BILL.

W&LLINGTON, Sept. 15. In the House this evening Sir William Jerries moVed the second reading of the Native Trustee Bill, .which he §aid wasl measure of great importance to the Native race, and should have been inroduced before the wsti, but that poiild iot be done, and during the war the idict went forth that no - contentious legslation should be introduced. Now that ,he Bill was before the House lie believed t would be found to fill a long-felt ivant. The BilLwas based on the reoort of a commission consisting of Mr. tustice Hoskihg and Mr. Mcintosh, yho low reported it was advisable to separate Native and pakeha busineiss now tranlacted by the Public Trustee. It was >ropos,ed to _ set up a Native Trustee aiid deputy Native Trustee who would relieve .he Public Trust Office of "Maori business, arid so it was believed facilitate the ransaction of that bushie^. A Native LVust Office Board would be set up on vhitth the Native race would probably iave two representatives. A common mid would be set up for the administraion bf the Act, and to this would be xlded the sum of about £262,000 now m ho hands of the Publio Trustee, and out 4 these "funds it was .k>pe<_ that the $oard> would be able tb Assist and en-oui-age the .Natives to cultivate and im>rbye their lands, forywhiph purpose the >rdiniiry lending*, departhiehts of th& GoXn\Y not, advance loans. Many STatiyes were anxious' to; emulate their lakeha brqthers, ahd ag .we.owe a. .duty. ,o the Native ..ra-c^ he hqped the Hbttfce voiild look ! 4t the Bill as a ineaais to liat eitd. . Tliei'e. had- been many complaints m the past that the Natives did iot cultivate* their land, but this they, vere not able to do unless, they, could jet financial aid. Tlie Bill would supply :this necessity, loans of .course being, idvai&ed only on partitioned lands. Tlie' Bill would, relieve the " Publio Thist Office, of a great deal of Native business fvhich, under the pressure of pakeha businesSj could not perhaps receive the attention which it de_ervsd. y He. hoped the House would pasis the Bill without imendment. His Bill of 1913 wa<i called by the Natives the Pire Mura (Cohifiscatoiy Bill): Air. ' Lyalhar said he approved of the tnahi principles of the Rill, but suggested, a number of committee amendments. The Natives should, be encouraged to conduct their own -affairs. The Hon... A'. T: Ngata thought the. Bill deserved a sympathetic reception, though there were some onfrssions .which he would like to have seen- provided for.' His great fear of' the measure was the cost of its administration. Tho Maori was hot the best oUent m tho -world to whom to lend money (that honor belongs ed- to the Scotsman), and the Public Trust, Boaa'd tvhosip duty it was to lendthem money niustl pai-sUe that money to the' end to sco it pi'operly spent on the purposo for which the money w_as lent. Close supervision was .'essential to success. Mi:. .Wilford wanted td know whether the Bill was .« 'Ministerial; experiment, or was it IhOjyresuH o. a request from tho Public Trustee? Did it disclose the* poliby ' of the 'Go vferiiifteiit ? He .also wanted the Minister to assure the House that the. administration of* the. Act would not be excessive. Sir William Her ries said it was-grati-fying to find the Hon. A. T. Ngata and himself m such close agreement on, the principles of the lijjl. lii its pdministtation he hoped- tb oßtain the service. of officers who had been dding Native work under tho Public Trustee. In other departments Officers of the Maori: Land Boards would be used, and so he hoped to keep dovvn expense. He did not anticipate that the cost would beany -rreater than at present. His policy at least would be economy with efficiency. - Much of the success of the measijre would depend on* the selection of the Native Trustee. He ha<l an officer m view, and he thought the salary oould not be less than £1000 a year. The Bill was read a eeaond time, and the House went into committee on the measure. The Bill passed the'commit- ! tee stage .without amendment, and later was read a third time and passed.— Press 1 Assn. .