SALE OF NATIVE LANDS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16869, 16 October 1920, Page 6

SALE OF NATIVE LANDS.

GRIEVANCE AGAINST CROWN. BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN COBBMPONDENT WELLINGTON, Got. 15. The Native Affairs Committee reported that it had no recommendation to make on the petition of Tonga Carroll for payment of a certain sum of money retained by the Crown in reference to the sale of section 88, Waimate block. Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki) moved that the petition be referred back for further consideration. The Natives had not got the full amount of the purchase money- There was a gpod deal of trafficking in Native lands going on in the Taranaki district. This land, for instance, was valued at £2O Ids, and yet the average price for property in the vicinity was not less than £6O. The Minister of Native Affairs (S.ir Wm. Herries) had no objection to the' report being referred back, though he could not see how that would benefit "the petitioner, ft might mean that nothing further could bo done this session, as the committee was overloaded with work. The Taw‘laid down that if a purchaser wanted West Coast Native lands a special valuation was made by the Valuation Department. That had been done in the present case. He believed that the valuation was a fair one. In any case the Natives need not have sold unless they cared to. The amount of toe sale had been paid to them, less the costs of the transaction. Mr. Smith: The difference is about £I4OO. Mr. C. E. Statham (Dunedin Central) said that ho thought the Crown had kept within the four corners Of the Act, but ho believed that injustice had been done to the The Crown had, in accordance with the provisions of the Act, acquired the property from the Natives for £12,045, and had sold the freehold for £13,8X0. The sum of £1765 had been retained by the Crown merely for looking after toe interests of the Natives. Sir Win. Herrios: We only buy land; the Crown Lands Department does the selling. Mr. Statham said that, if another department conducted the second part of the transaction, that did not affect the fact that the Government had conducted the whole business. The report was referred back.