ALIENATION OF LAND ON SEA SHORES AND NEAR LAKES

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 October 1946, Page 6

ALIENATION OF LAND ON SEA SHORES AND NEAR LAKES

CHANGES IN BILL DEBATED

(P.A.) Parliament Bldgs., Oct. 7. In the House of Representatives today, when consideration was given to amendments made by the Legislative Council to the land subdivision in the Counties Bill, exception was taken by several Opposition members to th? amendment providing for the alienation of a strip of land on seashores and adjoining lakes and rivers. Mr. R. M. Algie (Opp., Remuera) and Mr. S. G. Smith (Opp., Bay of Islands) declared that there was no valid reason why there should be one law for the Maoris and another for Europeans. Mr K. J. Holyoake (Opp., Pahiatua) suggested the Bill should be deferred. Mr C. G. Harker (Opp., Waipawa) said the amendment was unnecessary, because alienation could not be effected without the consent of the Native Land Court, which would safeguard the Maori interests. Mr. H Johnstone (Opp.. Raglan) suggested that the Bill should not be passed this session, but should be deferred to enable local bodies to consider it in more detail. He declared that many anomalies would result from the proposed alienations, and. in many instances, strips of alienated land would be of no use to the public, but would become hotbeds for noxious weeds.

The Prime Minister. Mr. Fraser, said the House should pass the Bill and not hold it up because of a question of Maori lands. He saw no reason for opposition to the clause giving elementary justice to the Maoris, whose rights were guaranteed by the Treaty of Waitangi. Mr. Fraser said no change in the Maoris’ land rights shou’d be made without first consulting the Maori people. If lhe Government remained in office he would see that that consultation took nlace the earliest possible onportemnv. and he was sure that when the Maoris were consulted thev would not stand in the way of anything in the nature of town-planning. The Maoris’ sense of responsibility was. well developed, and at the present time there were many evidences of voluntary acceptance by Ihe Maoris of responsibility We were witnessing lhe emergence of the Maoris, especially the younger generation, into a full sense of their responsibility to the whole community. The debate was interrupted by the tea adjournment at 5.30 p.m.

The Minister of Land, Mr. Skinner, replying to discussion on the amendments to the Bill, said Maori landowners had ample protection, because nothing could be done without permission of the Native Land Court and the Native Minister. Any question of alienation of land for subdivision came under the Act immediately, and oven if a Maori subdivided land right to the water’s edge he would not want to deprive his people of access to the water. He was confident that separate negotiations could be made with the Maori owners and they could be resolved satisfactorily. The amendments, in their present form, would enable the Government to do what it wanted with justice 1o the Maori.