Wellington Independent SATURDAY, 6th SEPTEMBER.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3903, 6 September 1873, Page 2

Wellington Independent SATURDAY, 6th SEPTEMBER.

Thb portion of Judge Richmond's report which deals with the general question of the defects of previous native land laws, and the alterations needed to remove them, is published in another column. Another feature of it, of much interest of a personal character, is alluded to in our Parliamentary report. As Mr Fox took occasion to remark, the report completely acquits two hon members, Messrs M'Lean and Ormond, of grave charges that bad been made against them. Nothing indeed could be more complete and explicit than the acquittal. As to the charge of having used political influence to bring about the purchase of the Heretaunga Block, Judge Richmond observes that it waa made and half withdrawn again; by Mr Sheehan. He could see no foundation of any kind for it. This is the only charge in which Mr M'Lean is included, he not being one of the purchasers. As to the remaining charges affecting the good fsith of the purchase, Judge Richmond takes them up one by one and disposes of them. It was said in the first place that the ten native owners of the block should not have been dealt with separately for their shares. His Honor points out that, however that may be, the purchasers were not responsible for the fact ; some of the shares having been, in the first instance, disposed of to other parties from whom they bought them at second hand. The real grievance was the state of the law. It was said again that the purchasers had induced the storekeepers with whom the natives dealt to press them for their debts, fco as to force them to sell. Judge Richmond sees no evidence whatever of unfair pressure. They merely stepped in to buy whab must have been sold to some one. .After dealing similarly with some other minbf points, he comes next to what is' after all the only really important question, viz., whether the price given "was a fair one. "All things considered, his Honor concludes that it was " fully adequate." The main thing that has to be considered is that there was ..a lease which had about nineteen years to run, and that the purchase money was equivalent to thirteen years' reversion of the rent. The fairness of the lease was not called in question, nor, indeed, had the lease itself been regarded as a remarkably favorable transaction for the lessees when it was concluded. Mr Gillies appeared to think that the acquittal could not be regarded as final till members had the reports of Judge Maning and of 'the Native Assessors before them. As to those of the latter amiable and worthy gentlemen, we cannot say that we think they will carry much weight, in as far as they differ from those of their European co-judges, if they do so, at all. As to Judge Maning's, his opinions are so frequently quoted in the report before us, and on such salient points, that it is quite evident that his views do not differ in any important respect from Judge Richmond's. One point we may instance. Evidence was given by one of the sellers, Henare Tomoana — a very favorable specimen indeed of the Maori ; a man who had fought for us valiantly in times past, and had been, presented with a sword by her Majesty— to the effect that he had signed the deed under compulsion, a variety of details in regard to the nature of the compulsion used being added. Overwhelming evidence was brought to rebut this story, and Judge Richmond's verdict on it is that both he and Judge Maning attach no credit whatever to it. It may be taken as a crucial instance illustrative of the value of the native evidence generally brought forward before the Commission. The very best of the natives had obviously not the smallest hesitation in delivering themselves, on oath, of any possible story which their fertile imaginations suggested, or their European friends took the trouble to concoct for them.