MAORI LAND SETTLEMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8173, 5 July 1906, Page 5

MAORI LAND SETTLEMENT.

MAORI LAND SETTLEMENT. (From Our London Correspondent). LONDON, May 18. In the House of Commons on Tuesday, May 9th. Mr Ashley asked the Prime Minister whether his attention had been called to the provisions of the Maori Laud Settlement Act, pasaad by the New Zealand Legislature in 1905; and whether, ia view of the provisions of the Treaty of Waitaugi, concluded in 1840 between the Crown and the Maori chiefs of, New Zealand, he proposed to advise the Crown to exercis3 its right of veto. Mr Churchill, who replied, said that the Secretary of State bad carefully considered toe Act, aiid had seen no reason to advise his Majesty to exercise his powers of disallowance with respect to it. It appeared to involve no infraction of the Treaty of Waitangi. It passed the second and. third readings in the New Zealand House of Representatives, which contains four Maori members. The only Maori member who spoke on the third reading supported the Bill. Mr Ashley asked whether it was not the fact-that when New Zealand was granted a Constitution in 1852 power over these Maori lauds was expressly reserved to the Grown. Mr Churchill replied th;it he could only eay that the Bill gave no dissatisfaction whatever to the Maoris. The Maori members in the New Zealand House of Represeutativea sunoorted it, and the only one who spoke complained that it did not go far enough.