EARLY LAND CLAIMS

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1935, Page 14

EARLY LAND CLAIMS

STR GEORGE GREY’S ACTS. FORMER GRANTS DISALLOWED. One of the greatest questions confronting the early settlers of New Zealand, the method of land purchase, was discussed by Mrs. Wilson Wilson, in an informative paper, “Sir George Grey and the Land Claimants,” read at a meeting of the Auckland Historical Society on Friday night, says the Auckland Herald. Mr. A. E. Mulgan, a vicepresident, presided. Mrs. Wilson maintained that Sir George Grey’s disallowance of claims for grants made under Governor Fitzroy’s waiver of the pre-emption clause of the Treaty of Waitangi was autocratic and unjustified. “His own care-fully-prepared despatches, intended to put the acts of his predecessor in the worst possible light and his own proceedings in the best, contain sufficient matter to convict him of insincerity and misrepresentations of facts to suit his own purposes,” Mrs. Wilson said. She pointed out that the claims disallowed by Governor Grey under the pre-emption waiver must not be confused with the disallowance of grants in excess of 2560 acres, the limit set by statute to land aggregation at the time. 'FITZROY’S PROCLAMATION. Governor Fitzroy had, by proclamation of March 26, 1844, allowed land to be -bought direct from the natives _in certain northern districts, on condition that a fee of 10s an acre was paid to the Government on the issue of Crown grants. The pre-emption clause had presumed an obligation on the Government to buy the land first from the natives, but the Government at the time had no surplus funds to carry this out. It was felt that the waiving of the pre-emption clause would not only make land available to settlers in a position to purchase, but would also bring considerable revenue to the Government. The natives’ interests would be protected, as all sales would be made under the supervision of the Government.

Sales of land did not come up to expectations, however, said Mrs. Wilson, an'd on October 10 a second proclamation was issued,.reducing to Id an acre the fee to be paid to the Government. Expenses of survey were to be paid by the purchaser. The new system remained in. force for about a year, in which time about 100,000 acres of land were bought by 220 persons. This proclamation caused consternation among some of the settlers, who thought that ’land throughout the Colony would be unduly depreciated. Fitzroy was later recalled, Sir George Grey, then Captain Grey, being appointed Governor. Mrs. Wilson reviewed Sir George Grey’s subsequent actions in having I the grants that were made under _ this proclamation disallowed, and claimed that he had misled the Home Government with regard to the position. “Absolute power is a dangerous weapon for even so benevolent a despot as Sir George Grey believed himself to be, and some of those who claimed land bought from the natives under the pre-emption waiver proclamations found his benevolence hard to understand,” said Mrs. Wilson. “He had successfully defied the orders of two British Ministers for the Colonies, he had made many enemies in the northern districts, but he had gained the approbation of the southern settlers. On the whole he could afford to consider of little consequence the distress and bitter hatred of some 200 disappointed settlers .among them by buying small portions of cheap land.” ■ '

. Mrs. Wilson also reviewed the actions of the Governor with regard to settlers who laid claims to excess grants, and in conclusion made the following summary of Sir George Grey’s character: “To his dependants, to the Maoris, to children, the poor and the humble, he was always kind and generous, but, to those who opposed his autocratic will, he became an implacable enemy.”