THE Wellington Independent Saturday, September 6, 1862. THE NATIVE LANDS BILL.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1763, 6 September 1862, Page 2

THE Wellington Independent Saturday, September 6, 1862. THE NATIVE LANDS BILL.

Not to interfere with the early closing of the Assembly, Sir George Grey lias postponed his visit to the West Coast for a few days ; the Otaki feast will nottbeiefore now take place until the 16th, and that at Wanganui until the 2oth. As every possible effort will be made to close the session of the Assembly next week, we suppose that the million loan will be introduced forthwith, or not at all — a measure so important, of which at present no details have been given, requiring consideration possibly quite as close as that which was demanded by the Native Lands Bill. The Native Lands Bill was further amended yesterday, read a third time, and will forthwith find its way into the other House. We have studiously avoided alluding to this Bill during its progress through the House of Representative*!, because its cbameliou-like natuie never rightly permitted us to ascertain what its provisions at uny one time exactly were. The principle consisted in the assertion of two poiuts ; (1) that all lands over which the Native title was not extinguished, was declared to be the absolute property of the persons entitled thereto by Native Custom ; and (2) that after the title had been ascertained, the owners according to Native Custom might sell or lease to any person or persons whomsoever. The details were at first brief, and such as met with the most persevering opposition from those who were jealous for the regular colonisation of this Island ; but day by day they assumed a more expansive and conciliatory character, and though not in all points satisfactory, were at last sufficiently so, to insure the removal of the clause by-clause opposition with which the Bill was at one time threatened. The particulars of these modifications we shall on another occasion des,cribe, but when we say that the Bill originally introduced has been twice entirely recast, it will be seen that we have been in no position to do so before, without having in almost every issue to remove the impressions, relative to the exact nature of the Bill, which the previous issue would have lead our readers to form. Great as have been the omissions, alterations, and modifications made in the details, we were not prepared to believe that any abrogation of the principle would be allowed. We were cogni sant of the fact that much of the alteration in details, arose from a sincere desire on Mr. Bell's part to inflict aslittle injury as possible on this province. Other members of the Ministry were willing to make still further concessions, but as Mr. Bell had sole charge of the Bill aud was responsible foi it, we could not expect that any other modifications than those which he thought it just or wise to permit, would be allowed. But what we could not conceive possible in reference to details, has actually taken place with regard to the principle — so much 1 so that the first of the two points before mentioned, has been wholly ignored. This was done at the instance of Mr. Staffoid on Thursday evening, on his pointing out that the doctrine involved therein might be deemed bytheHoune law officers sufficient to lead them to advise Her Majesty to disallow the Bill. Mr. Domett consented to the withdrawal of the principle objected to, very much to Mr. Bell's annoyance. So much so, that in consequence of ii Mr. Bell (after feelingly alluding to his colleagues at the head of the Government having actdd without consultation with him, and in opposition to his views) yesterday asked leave to alter the title, as the BUI no longer did what it had previously purported to do — render the title of Natives to their lands as valid and effectual as the title of Europeans under grant from the Crown. There. was some little difficulty in fixing upon a new title to the Bill, owing to the objection

aany members had to call it by its light name, i was proposed by Mr. Fox to call it "a Bill or altering the provisions ' of the Treaty of iVaitangi, and to legalise the purchase of Native lands by individuals "—a title, which as Mr. Jollie showed, precisely expressed what ,hey all understood the object of the Bill ;eally was. However, as it was not deemed proper in a Bill to be sent to Her Majesty, that any such vulgarity as calling a jpade a spade should be tolerated, tbe plain bonest title proposed by Mr. Fox was discarded and something very much more suited to royal ears substituted. Her Majesty is uot to be shocked by anything 1 so vulgar as a spade; "horticultural utensil is to be ascd instead. What alterations may be made in the Legis lative Council it is impossible to conjecture : but we should scarcely wonder that, if they are of any great importance, the Ministry might deem it desirable to abandon, the Bill altogether.