The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1891. SETTLEMENT OF NATIVE LANDS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume X, Issue 2315, 25 February 1891, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1891. SETTLEMENT OF NATIVE LANDS.

Many of the young farmers who fiie growing up m the South island, and are looking f">r suitable land on which to settle and follow out the calling to which they have been reared, have nowhere etee to cast their eyes but upon the large tracts of unoccupied, or at any rate uncultivated, lands still remaining m the hands of the natives m the North Island. All around them m the South the good arable land has passed out of the hands of the State, and is either altogether withheld from sale or is offered at such prices as afford a purchaser no reasonable prospect of making a livelihood from it. Anything therefore that may tend to open up the North Island native lands for settlement is of the greatest interest to a large part of the fanning community. The Premier m his speech at the banquet given m his honour at Wanganui touched upon the subject, and gave hopes that proposals would be made to Parliament which would lead to a solution of the difficulties with which the question is surrounded. The Premier said that the Government believed that, without opposing the sentiments and traditions and feelings of the natives, they could introduce a system which would enable native lands to be let on the perpetual lease system, giving to the European settlers a title as good as freehold, and bringing the natives into a state of mind m which they would lease large quantities of land. This indeed is a consummation devoutly to be wished. While providing land for a desirable class of settlers —young farmers .vho know their business and are ready and willing to " rough it" m the earlier steps of their path to prosperity and comfort—the Premier's proposal would secure to the present owners a permanent and inalienable interest m the land, put a stop to their present disastrous practice of selling the land when possible and squandering the proceeds. Tiie apportionment of the interest m the land zimong the numerous native owners would also be much simplified. In fact any measure by which the native lands can be settled, with good 1 title to the settlers, and without extinguishing the rights of the present owners would be a legislative achievement of the greatest benefit to the country, and a credit to the Government which carried it into effect.