PRE-EMPTION. 
279 
The Crown only purchases a district at a time, and the 
natives, when they have sold and vacated that district, not 
only feel it more, but also, that with the land, their mana, 
or power, has gone likewise ; few, therefore, can now be 
induced to part with land. This is the universal complaint 
at Auckland, at New Plymouth, at Kapiti, in fact, everywhere, 
and as the cattle and goods of the natives increase, and they 
are doing so rapidly, it is most probable the difficulty of pur¬ 
chasing land will increase also. On these accounts, important 
as it is that settlers should be obtained for New Zealand, 
it is still more so, that lands should be procured for them 
beforehand, and it is evident there will be much difficulty in 
doing so by the present system. Further, should the natives 
persist in their present determination of not selling, they 
cannot be compelled to do so; they are their own masters, 
and we have guaranteed to them all the rights of British sub¬ 
jects. What then can be done ? The remedy is simply to do 
again what Governor Fitzroy did, and for which he got so 
much blame. The Penny an Acre Act, as it was termed, I have 
always regarded as one of the wisest measures which has 
been adopted, either before or since. The meaning of this 
Act requires explanation. It is simply this: the Governor 
waved the right of pre-emption, and allowed individuals to 
purchase from the native proprietor, subject to the approval 
of Government, and a fixed charge per acre. The knowledge 
of this immediately caused the tide of emigration to flow into 
the district; there never had been such an influx before, and 
it is doubtful if it has had since, until, at least, the price of 
land was reduced, in the last year of the Governor’s stay. The 
advantage of this measure was, that an individual did not make 
a large purchase ; he bought a piece of land, which a single 
native might have for sale, and in doing so he still left the 
surrounding lands in the hands of their proprietors ; there was 
no expelling of them from an entire district; they did not feel 
they were parting with their own power as well as the land, 
but rather regarded the individual as one gained by their tribe, 
and, by way of distinction, called him their “pakeha ,” or Euro¬ 
pean. Were this plan of Governor Fitzroy’s to be re-adopted 
