MURIHIKU LEAGUE

Southland Times, Issue 19392, 5 November 1924, Page 6

MURIHIKU LEAGUE

EXECUTIVE MEETING AT RIVERTON. An executive meeting of the Murihiku League was held in the Riverton Borough Council Chambers, Mr H. Wixon presiding. The rating of Native lands was warmly discussed and the secretary was instructed to draft a letter to the Minister in favour of rating under the following heads: 1— All Native lands where access is by road or railway to be rated accordingly. 2 All rate money to be spent on providing access to property at present in accessable. 3 When there is no access the League to protest against the payment of rates until access is given. The Bluff branch wrote asking the League to communicate with the Minister of Marine with regard to the issuing of permits to masters of vessels trading with the Mutton Bird Islands so that the voyage may be commenced at night. Mr W. Spencer, a master mariner with 40 years’ experience around the islands, said there was more danger through leaving in the daytime than at night, as the journey took from 12 to 14 hours. By leaving in the daytime it meant travelling through reefs at night. Those who knew the cape, and the sudden rising of a gale and sea, knew the difficulty of making a safe anchorage. By leaving at night they would have daylight to negotiate this part of the trip. The following suggestions were adopted: 1— Mariners to be given permission by the Customs to sail at night on application from year to year. 2 That the Customs Officers shall have power to prohibit any vessel leaving port in unsuitable weather. 3 That the Customs Officials shall have the sole right of granting or refusing applications. 4 That the Customs Officials shall have power to prohibit any vessel not fully equipped from sailing. BLUFF BRANCH REPORT. The Bluff Branch meeting was presided over by Mr H. Wixon. In opening the meeting, the Chairman said he was pleased that the League members had decided to teach the rising generation the customs of their race, and he trusted that the social would revive what he thought had lapsed through being Europeanised. He went over the work done by the Executive, but the work in front of the League would require consistent work. The secretary (Mr Wixon) reported that Chief Judge Rawson and Judge Gilfedder would preside over the next meeting of the Native Land Court. He also stated that the tenths from Nelson to Ashburton would be heard by a separate tribunal. The payment of the tenths would be as follows: 75 per cent to beneficial owners and 25 per cent held in trust as a relief to any Natives in distress, such as pensioners. The 75 per cent would be paid in three instalments in periods of five years. Mr H. Rita asked what had been done with regard to the survey of section 8, block I. The secretary said that the matter had been investigated and the section was mapped as a Native reserve, but was allotted to the Te Au family during the sale of Murihiku. Although the land had not been applied for by the owners it still remained theira until the Government or beneficiaries make the first move. Mrs Potiki: What jurisdiction has the Crown to demand rent from any Native residing there? The secretary: None whatever. He said the period of 20 years had lapsed for individualisation but an Order-in-Council has been made gazetting that it be reclaimed as Crown land, and they could do nothing until the beneficiaries applied to the Land Court to have their claims considered. A member: Explain the tenths. The secretary: When the various lands were sold to Captain Wakefield and afterwards taken over by the Crown, for every ten acres sold, ten acres were set aside for the future generation. * A member: Have we proof? The secretary: Yes; or the Government would not hold a separate commission. He said they had volumes 1 and 2 dealing with all the correspondence and sales of land for the Dominion.— (Aplause). The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the Chairman and Secretary.