The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1907. NATIVE LANDS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2089, 25 May 1907, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1907. NATIVE LANDS.

The Hon. J. Carroll informed a reporter a few days, ago, that it is the intention of the Govei’iunent to introduce next session an important consolidating measure dealing with Native Lands Acts. It is sincerely -to bo hoped that this statement is an official pronouncement, and not a mere obiter dictum of the Native Minister. The necessity for such a measure is a question which admits of no debate. The Natives desire it, the European settlers desire it, and public bodies which are brought into touch with Native lands desire it. The matter is one of the utmost importance for the colony as a whole, and more particularly for such parts of it as contain vast areas of Native land; but the question is one which has, in the past, proved more fruitful of promise than of result —we have been promised Acts, and when tho Acts have appeared, we have often found that fulfilment of the promise was a greater evil than the repudiation would have been. AVo have had commissions—and have one now —but it is difficult to point to any substantial benefits which have accrued therefrom.

It may be well to review shortly the principles which have prompted—or seem to liavo prompted—legislation in the past, and the needs' which should be a guide to our action in the future. In tho first place, the main object which our Legislature appears to have set before it has been that tlio Maori should, when soiling or leasing, receive a fair return for his commodity. This is, of course, as it should be; and there have been notorious cases in tho past when Gov.ernment has lmd to step in and quash some transaction in which the Maoris had been shamefully overreached ; but after all, when all tho thousands if transactions in Native lands, have been reviewed, it has to be confessed that the European—whether purchaser or lesseo—lias not always proved to be a knave. Acts have been invoked and Europeans placed upon their trial, only to have it shown that they have paid full market value, and sometimes more, for what they liavo received; but so deeply rooted was tho idea that the: European must necessarily be taking an unfair advantage of his Maori brother, that Act succeeded Act, until the best judges of the day have been unable to see light.through the chaos created. Gross injustice has often -been done to the best of colonists, who, in an endeavor to deal uprightly with tho Maori seller or landlord, have unwittingly infringed some obscure clause of one of the multitude of Acts bearing upon the subject; and, unfortunately, the Maori has, in many cases, received questionable advico, and his scruples have not proved! so strong as to cause him to reject such advice, with the result that long and vexatious lawsuits have been looked upon as the necessary concomitant of dealing in Maori land, while at the same time the main object of the Acts has been defeated by the Maori finding himself impoverished by outrageous costs, instead of reaping the benefits of an honest transaction with an honest man.

• Then another principle came into play in connection with' Maori land. The cry was raised that the Maori was parting with the land, and would soon become a pauper dependent upon the colony. And the plan was adopted of making Native land inalienable—an expression which proved to mean not only that it might not he sold, but also that it might not even he leased. Again,.the operation of the principle proved of doubtful value to those it was intended to benefit. In the first place many Maoris, while actually negotiating lenses were induced to ask that their lands might he declared inalienable, and found themselves unable to effect tlid leases they desired.

In the second place the Government-, with an astuteness which belied it boasted care and solicitude. _ lor Hys. - l.mrin.f o1n«H the donrUtfl-M—7" Maori buids for. "m some cases, not more than one-tentli of what those lands would have fetched in the open

market. So much for the past, the most important present needs scorn to be: m The necessity for bringing luto profitable occupation the tracts of Maori lands at present lying idle, and (2) the desirability of devising some means whereby those Maori dands should bear their fair share ol thci burden of rates for roads and sucl}

other public works as benefit Mao and European alike. The Commissic at present sitting is supposed to l dealing with the former of these que tions, but our confidence in that Coil mission is rudely shaken when we fi| that a special session was held in t! town to deal with a matter wh came within the scope of anotf Court, and over wlncli tho CounJsion had no jurisdiction. There r pears to be, further, grave doubf

to whether the Commission- unstands its aims as the colony ui stands them. The desire of Mony is to have all Native fs 'brought , into productive occupm either by Maoris or by Europeai n the latter case the problem offeguarding for the present ownhis rights to the land .should no- y solution; and it is difficult to (erst and why it should bo right/l's- . possess a European settler in f to , givo occupation to others, to' do the same to the MaoriP is in no sense occupying tho J m question ; but from remarks f ® ir Robert Stout has allowed tqP ll > lished it would appear t-hatpm-mission is giving undue weisf the question of the farming < laori lands by the Maoris themb «

is only natural that Mr. Nguta, linnself a successful shoop-farmor, should use to tin; utmost' this opportunity ol having Government sanction given to his aspirations for the Maori as a sheep-farmer; but this cortainly is not the object for which the Commission was sot up; and wo gravely question whothor.it is at present" tlio best policy for tho Maori race. The duty of tho Commission is to ascertain what Native lands there are available for settlement; and it is for tho Government to tako such steps as will speedily bring about tho effective occupation ol those lands.

This must of necessity menu tlio swooping away of a groat deal of cumbrous legislation which at the present not only blocks the way to an amicable arrangomont whereby tho Maori may lease his surplus land to the European, but also prevents tho Maori turning his land to profitable account himself. Tho question should bo approached in a liberal spirit and dealt with upon a broad basis,-with-out regard to any shibboleth such as limited area, or inalienability. Iho timo has arrived when tho Maori should be placed upon the samo loot-

ing as tho European with respect to the land. Tho land is liis and ho should bo allowed to deal with it in such a way as will best tend .to tho prosperity of tho colony. The solution of this groat question carries with it tlio solution of the second. As matters are at present' public bodies have no moans of collecting rates from Maori lands. The Hon. J- Carrol announced the other day at New Plymouth that it is the wish of the Government to put an end to this un-

satisfactory stato of affairs; but it is clearly unjust and impossible to rate lands which aro unproductive. Once tho lands arc made permanently productive, the rates will bo forthcoming, and such Counties as Cook and Waiapu will find themselves vastly benefited financially. Here, then, is an opportunity for the Government, if it is really in earnest, to benefit public bodies, tho European settler, and at the same time the Maori, who has found in tho past the “arolia” of Government a somewhat disappointing confection.