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An Epitome of Official Documents Relative to Native Affairs and Land Purchases in the North Island of New Zealand

No. 40. — The Native Reserve Commissioners to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland

page 21

No. 40.
The Native Reserve Commissioners to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.

Respecting the Board of Management. Wellington, New Zealand, 22nd April, 1854.

Sir,—

We have the honour to address you on the subject of the Board of Management of Native Reserves in the province, in order that the same may be laid before His Excellency.

In June, 1848, the Board was gazetted by order of His Excellency Lieutenant-Governor Eyre, consisting of Lieut.-Colonel McCleverty, the Attorney-General, and H. St. Hill, Esq.; but in the years 1852 and 1853 Sir George Grey vested the more valuable of these reserved lands by separate deeds in trustees for the benefit of the Native Hospital and a grammar school in Wellington: these are therefore not now under our control.

The hospital endowment trust executed by Sir George Grey is now of no avail, the trustees being appointed ex officio, as holding offices under the General Government—offices which, with the exception of the Resident Magistrate at Wellington, have ceased to exist under the new Constitution: it will therefore be necessary that new ones should be appointed. We have every reason to believe that the power of nomination had been delegated to the Superintendent by His Excellency Sir George Grey previous to his leaving the province. The rents now collected for the remaining reserves by the Board are of small amount. Under these circumstances we beg to suggest that, as those derivable for the hospital endowment are not at present sufficient to cover the expenses of the Native patients, the former rents should also be so appropriated, and that any new trustees appointed for the latter should also be empowered to act as a board of management for the unappropriated reserves, thus relieving the General Government of some expense.

We have, &c.,

The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Auckland.