THE DEBATE ON THE HAWKE'S BAY "RING" LAND TRANSACTIONS.

Wananga, 13 November 1875, Page 857

THE DEBATE ON THE HAWKE'S BAY "RING" LAND TRANSACTIONS.

(Continued from our last.) this About this time Tareha came down to his place in this Parliament and he was followed by Maney and peacock. Mr. Tanner accompanied them; and, although it would have been possible to secure the services of an interpreter here for £:3 or £4, they preferred to bring an interpreter from Hawkc's Bay, at a cost of £oo or ,£6O. On arrival hero they found the honorable member for Olive attending- in his place as a member of this House. Another gentleman whom I have named, the Rev. Samuel Williams, was also here upon some other business. In the evidence which those gentlemen gave before the. Commission in regard to Tareha s snare (if the block, it was endeavored to be made out that they were very unwilling that Tareha's share should bo sold while he was in Wellington. Mr. Tanner said that was a fact, and Mr. Hamlin said so, and Air. Ormond and Mr. Williams said so; but I say this, that if they had been unwilling to buy while he was away fro~ his own people a word would have slopped it. The transaction was not stopped, the share was obtained, and they remained the purchasers. It will perhaps iiiUi.vst the House now to learn how the next share disappeared. There was a person named Talker, in IJawke's Bay, win., with ilu' assistance of one of these interpreters, induced To Waka Kawatini, another chief, to pari with ;>7,<>oo acres of land, which was the prime and pick of the whole colony. They induced this chief to convey all bis interest in this block for an annuity of £3OO a year. At his death the annuity was to cease, and the land was to become the property of Parker. As the Natives said at the time, this deed actually put Parker in the place of Te Waku Kawatini's own child. When the transaction became known, there was an amount of \irtuous indignation expressed which was highly creditable to the parties. Steps were at once taken to set the matter right. The Governs "nt employed

p^ Cli ° rj and an action was brought against Mr Parker t° set the deed, and to'place Te Waka marX/tl position. Let the House maik what the subsequent result was. I must say that one gentleman who was very indignant, and who _ v very active steps in preventing the arrangements bemg earned out, was the Kev. "samuel™^^? Jnnhf ?6 WaS npenin S for judgment, and I have no ' t ' fc my ,°™ mi " d that tLe deed would have been •settled i -Tanner r - Parker met and the matter between themselves, the basis of being that if they got Te Waka Kawas sbare tbey should pay him .£I,OOO for it That was what they wanted. As soon as that done ley went to Te Waka Kawatini's solicitor, and told tini to K 2t i a + i arm " Sea °mY behalf ° f Te Waka Kaw "~ tmi to settle the case. The solicitor refused to hear it. He said, the case being before the Court, the Court shonld set the deed aside. What was done liptfo"' tO °J Te Waka Kawatini out of the soJicitor s office, and got him into a room in the Government buildings, where, with the assistance of the Government interpreter, they got him to sign a notice to his solicitor abandoning the action ; and subsequently l»e signed a deed assigning his share of the block to Mi. fanner and his co-purchasers. So long as they got 1 o Y\ aka Kawatini's share of the block, they cared very lit tle what became of the balance. I may remark that when the case next came before the Court the same person appeared for both plaintiff and defendant, and withdrew the action ; Te Waka Kawatini, amongst other things, bemg saddled with the costs. The next transaction was somewhat similar in its circumstances. I here was a Native named Fahoro, who was a grantee for a portion of the block; and amongst a drunken and improvident people he was especially drunken and improvident. Mr. Samuel Williams, moved by the fear that Pahoro, from his drunken and improvident character, would dispose of his share in the block caused him to sign a trust deed, and he signed the deed accordingly ; but it happens! that at that time his tears were again aroused by the fact 1 hat another person was endeavoring- to acquire possession of the whole ireeliokl. The moment that became evident, it struck theso people that it would be very improper to allow this drunken man to dispose of his share. The Hou«e will hardly credit the next step that was taken. Mr. Uaniier, on behalf of himself and party, negotiated an unconditional purchase from Pahoro of this land for £750, and the sum paid in cash was £2O. There was nothing to show that anything in the shape of a balance was payable ; and he at once placed the transaction on the register. The position the affair was in was this : that if anything happened to Mr. Tanner if he had been pressed for money, and had chosen to* give a mortgage upon the land, that Native's share would be absolutely gone from him. There were three shares now captured, and it was determined to make an attempt to get hold of the remainder. I may say in justice to the parties, that they never attempted to acquire the freehold until there was a danger of some one else getting hold of it. Mr. Stuart never gave up the idea of acquiring the block. He came nip to !Nrrpier and took steps to have the Natives interviewed and negotiated for the freehold. The original lessees had eturted by securing the services of a Native inter-

preter, Mr. F. Hamlin, and they also obtained the services of his brother, Henry Martin Hamlin. While I was not in a position then to know, and oannot now say, that the engagement was one for negotiating as well as interpreting, it is evident, at all events, that the payment to them was to-be £3OO if successful. They were absolutely bound down to the lessees to give their best services to them. Mr. Stuart came up to Napier to negotiate for the block, and first applied to Mr. F. Hamlin. The House will bear in mind that these interpreters were under engagement to the lessees, and it will form its own opinion of how they behaved. First of all, Mr. F. Hamlin interviews Mr. Stuart, and he is ashed by that gentleman if he is ready to open negotiations for the Heretaunga block. Mr. Hamlin dines with Mr. Stuart, and they go into the details of the matter, and Mr, Stuart puts him in possession of all his views as to the purchase and the amount he is ready to give for his services as interpreter. "What does Mr. Hamlin then do ? He goes straight off to bis employers, and gives them the benefit of all the information obtained in this dishonorable way. But "Mr. Stuart was not to be baulked, and he went to another interpreter. I may say that there were four interpreters in Hawke's Bay at the time. Mr. Stuart went then to Mr. Grind ell, who is now, I believe, the Editor of the " Waka Maori," and he undertook to conduct the negotiations, and received £SO from Mr. Stuart as a deposit. Other parties heard of this arrangement, and found that Mr. Grindell had gone out to negotiate for the purchase of some of the shares ; so they at once went to him and said, " We understand that you have been engaged by Mr. Stuart to negotiate for the purchase of these shares. " What has ho given you ?" He replied, " £50." " Then " said they, " here is £SO if you will negotiate for us." And he took it, and negotiated for them and threw Mr. Stuart over. The fourth interpreter was a gentleman of whom I shall give a short biographical notice presently, and whose name is well known to members of this House—Mr. Worgan. Mr. Stuart went to that gentleman and asked him if he would negotiate the put-chase of the block, and he, bein°- at the time rather under a cloud, agreed to do so. & He had tbe necessary deeds prepared, interviewed the Natives, and the negotiations were progressing favorably, when suddenly, I do not know why—whether it was that money influence was brought to bear, or whether it was considered that there were some more effectual means of getting rid of him—but I will ask the House to judge for itself of the way in which ho was induced to give Mr. Stuart up. As soon as it was known that he had accepted the position of interpreter, the Mr. Hamlin who had sucked Mr. Stuart's brains wrote a letter to the Government accusing Mr. Worgan, in conjunction with a certain storekeeper, of transactions of a most dishonest character. In that letter he said, — "I have now the honor respectfully to bring to your notice the wholesale manner in which lands are being alienated from the Natives, under the deceptive cloak of mortgage. Mortgages some time past were entered into for the flake of the protection of merchants for outstanding debts ; but at a later date, and up to the present time, it has been carried on. with a vi<?\v indirectly to disinherit the Native! of their possessions, and also to deprive them

of the yearly rents which they have heretofore been in the habit of receiving. " I must not omit to state that this scheme is not a general thing, but is carried on by ono person in particular (Mr Sutton), who is assisted in so doing by Mr. G B. Worgan—every one else having set their faces against it. I may add that the barefaced manner in which tho trade is carried on is beyond credence." The House will remember that this is a letter written by one of these interpreters to the Governmrnt: " Several Natives have come into town without the slightest idea of treating for their lands ; they have been watehed in the street by Mr. Sutton (who I need not say had ill*. Worgan within call), the Natives decoyed away introduced, as a rule, first to a glass or two of spirits, then into his shop, where he or she is invited to take an unlimited quantity of goods : at the same time tiie deed is introduced and requested to be signed, which, considering the state they are in, is nofgenerally refused. J must not forget here to add that some of the most foolith and delusive ideas are put into tho Natives heads. Some of them have the idea that by forfeiting their respective shares of rent for three years, everything they draw in the shape of goods (forthey soldom see money, thus a.ivi;iabout 10s. in the pound in reality) will be paid off, and be ready to re-mortgage ; others hold the idea that they will still receive their yearly share of rents, and, by some unaccountable device, their respective debts will be paid off in the space of three years. In some instances some of them do not really know what they have signed away. "To snch a pitch lins the traffic been carried'on, ihafc in one instance I could relate, where a Native had's-.-eurod his creditor by mortgaging t< him his intercss in a certain block of land, and the deed registered, the Native was requested by Mr. Worgan to execute another deed in favor of Mr. Sutton. In this instance the Native deserved great praise, as lie told Mi - . Worgan chat he could not split his one hand in two ; he had signed one deed, and he would be acting wrong if lie signed a second for the same land, and for the same purpose—to which Mr. Worgan in a reproachful manner said (alluding to the Native interpreter who had been engaged iu the former case) : ' lie rangatira ravva te tangata no hou ma hoki katino mau rawu iakoe ana kupu).' Translation : He (the man) is verily the chief (leader or teacher), and you can fully hold his words (you will in future see if he have spoken in truth or otherwise). This has" been put into as intelligible English as the imperfect Maori can bo rendered." He th on goes 011 to say,— " I am happy to say, in this respect the Natives have to the present period behaved in a most creditable manner. " The effect of this iniquitous and baneful traffic has yet to be felt by the Province, and I do not think I shall be wrong in saying by the country also. The Natives will be made destitute, will consequently resort to stealing and highway robberies, together with all ether attending evils and I the ultimate consequences will be infinitely worse—viz., bloodshed, &c. I perceive by a Into amendment of the iS'ative Lands AcL that sonir alteration has been. made with respect to individual grantees dealing with their respective interests , but I fear that, while such an unprincipled mode of dealing has already exhibited itself, a majority of grantees will be easily overcome. " The power given to licensed interpreters to act in such cases is unlimited ; unless his own conscience prompts him. he is acting in such a way as will be injurious to the colony. I allude to the wholesale manner in which it has been, and still is, carried 011. To my certain knowledge deeds are at the present time in the course of preparation for the further transactions of the aliove nefarious traffic. I would therefore bring to your notice the necessity of revoking the lice nse as Native inlerpieter issued- to that gentleman, Mr. Worgan, t .m 11 events for a time, ponding your pleasure to again re-grant it at some future period. If this is not at once done, I i'ear there will be no redress, or redress will be too late."