The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JULY 24, 1911.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3277, 24 July 1911, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JULY 24, 1911.

Matters in. connection with the Mokau

estate promise to provide a cardinal feature

The Mokau Estate.

of this year’s political campaign. The history of this remarkable property is, we take it, familiar to most, if not all, our readers. Who lias not heard of the .strenuous endeavours which Mr Joshua Jones has, for some years, been making to secure what lie deems his rights with reference to this valuable estate? Just now, however, what is, most engaging public attention in this regard are the circumstances under which the property has new passed into the hands

of a wealthy syndicate. In re “" speeches, * Mr. Massey, it will be recalled, promised to do his utmost to s o that .the position m connection, vith the sale was tli e subject of a u ® quiry. Putting the matter bluntly, t Leader of the Opposition inferred tha the syndicate who secured the area, ■which consists of over 50,000 acres o Native lands, were -allowed to a^ mre it- ‘hinder special circumstances. As will have been observed, this suggestion has been just as emphatically dented on behalf of the Government, and a so on behalf of the purchasing sy” dic ®?®' From a message which we publish this morning it will now lie seen that a James Carroll, in reply to a question at Waahi, stated “that Mr. Massey could have the fullest enquiry mto the Mokau lease matter.” It is, we think, very satisfactory that this announcement has been made. For has mpt Mr. Massey emphatically declared that lie is prepared to make some “interesting disclosures” in connection with the sale? Upon the Leader of the Opposition it is therefore incumbent that he should avail himself of the first oppor tunity 'to apply for such an enquiry as will serve to allow of the fullest light being shed on the whole of the fao • Dealing with the question at issue edithe “Dominion” points to the fact that it is provided under section 193 of the Native Land Act, 1909, that it shall not he lawful for any person individually or in conjunction with others to acquire any area of native land in excess of 3000 acres. How, then, it asks, did this syndicate come to acquire over 50,000 acres P On j when it is considered “expedient in the public interest” may an exception be made. “But what were the circumstances,” comments the “Dominion, “which made it ‘expedient in the public interest’ to take this exceptional course? Sir James Carroll tells ns that the land has been locked np for 25 years, and no satisfactory settlement appeared possible. Why not? Mhy could not the ’ Government itself take over the land instead of granting a private syndicate special facilities to do so? If it would pay a private syndicate to purchase the property at the price stated, plus the value of the mortgage, whv should not the Government, which had the power to do so, take over the land? ... It must be

borne in mind that the syndicate could never have obtained this land without the assistance of the Government and the passing of a special Order-in-Coun-cil.” There is also, .it will he agreed, room for a full official explanation -n regard to tin? circumstances surrounding the granting of the permit to acquire the land. According to the “Dominion,” the application for the issue of the Order-in-Council must be made through the Maori Land Board of the district. Furthermore, it is provided that at least ten days’ notice of the intention -of the Board to deal with “any application” shall be inserted m the Gazette,” and it shall not be lawful for any Board to deal with any application until after the expiry of such ten days. “Now,” comments the “Dominion,” the course pursued in relation to this Mokau Block is, to say tlie least of it, peculiar. Especially is it open to comment in view of the parties associated, directly and indirectly, with the transaction. The meeting of the Executive Council at which the Order-in-Council was passed authorising the sale of the land was held on the fifteenth of March last, Sir James Carroll presiding. The Maori Land Board, according to the published reports, confirmed the sale of the land under the Order-in-Council on the twenty-second of March. But the Order-in-Council itself, which was the authority for the sale and the only information the public had of what was transpiring, was not published in the "“Gazette” until the thirteenth of March; or several days after the sale had actually taken place. A very curious business this. What was the object in thus hushing up the decision to throw the whole of this large block of land open for sale to a private syndicate, until it was too late for any possible competitor or anyone else to step in? . - • The Go-

vernment has been successful in. smothering up a great many things, hut the circumstances surrounding this latest phase of the Mokau case are such that the public are not likely to be satisfied with anything but a full investigation by an impartial tribunal. When that is secured, some remarkable disclosures may be looked forward to. Under the circumstances it is, therefore, as we have said, pleasing to record -that the Government is not averse to the holding of a full enquiry into all matters relating to the- sale of the property. There is no indication, however, that Mr. Jones’s long standing claim will be allowed to com© within the scope of the enquiry. In this regard it is not open to doubt, we think, that there are many people who will not be satisfied until something more is proposed by the Government than has been considered possible in the past-.