MORE ABOUT MOKAU.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3303, 23 August 1911, Page 3

MORE ABOUT MOKAU.

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE IN- '' QUIRY. SHOULD GOVERNMENT HAVE PURCHASED? LPEB FEESS A SSOCI A.TIOIT. J WELLINGTON, August 22. The Mokau laucl transaction was further considered by the Native Affairs Committee this morning. Mr. Jennings (Taumarunui), chairman, drew attention to the report appearing in the paper to the.effect that he had stated that lie did not wish to narrow the inquiry, whereas Mr. Massey had made that remark. Mr. Massey recounted the history of the case, and pointed out that' the meeting at which the Order-in-Council was made was presided over by Sir Jas. Carroll, and was held on March 15th. The sale was confirmed 1 by the Maori Land Board on March 22. and was not gazetted until March 30th. He held that the syndicate did' not propose to part with the mineral rights, which will give them a monopoly over the coal-bearing areas of the west coast of the Taranaki, provincial district. __ Sir Jas. Carroll asked if Mr Massey was. correctly reported in saying that Jones’ title became void and the Natives had resumed the occupation of the land. \

Mr. Massey said that this was quite right. Ho did not suggest that the land had not legally passed, from the natives to Mr. Lewis. With regard'to the statement that the Government could have bought the land for 10s 4d per acre, he hoped to be ab|e to prove that the Government could have purchased the land for less: His point was that the Government should have purchased from the native owners, and that European settlers should, not be exploited by a syndicate. It was just a matter of opinion whether the Government should have bought the hind or whether private enterprise should have been allowed to acquire it. Future settlers would not be able to get on the land on such easy terms as the Government could have given. He had not the run of the Departmental- papers, and therefore could not be strictly accurate with regard to details. . The Hon. A .T. Ngata asked if Mr. Massey’s case might not be boiled down to two issues—that the issue of the Order-in-Council was detrimental to the public interests; and that it was against the interests of native owners. Mr. Massey refused to commit himself. He had heard that three different valuations of the property had placed it at less than the price paid by the syndicate. # •_ The committee, at this stage, adjourned till to-morrow, when Mr. 'Mokau” Jones will he called.