NATIVE LANDS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2225, 24 June 1908, Page 2

NATIVE LANDS.

THE WORK OF THECOMMISSION EXTENSIVE' AND COMiPRE- ' HENSIVE. [Pluses Association.] WELLINGTON, June 23. “The Native Land Commission is doing very good work,” remarked the-.NativeMinister to-day. “Its riper itions are, extensive and comprehensive, covering the whole of the' 'North Island, but in come few eases there had been a slight difficulty. The Native i.aiid Settlement Act of last session provided that where native land was brought under-its operation ;li ' Board in which it was vested should divide it into two equal portions. one half tor sale and the other halt lor leasing, and that is where some difficulty Jiad been experienced. In most eases the areas which have come linden the purview of the Coni-, mission have Jem themselves more or' less readily to such -i division, but there bare been other cases in which tiie division was no so easy. Cases have occurred in which it was obviously to the interests ot the native owners to lease wholly or sell right out, and the operation 0 f the Act lias disclosed the fact that more elasticity is required in this direction and that the Commission should be given a discretionary power in this respect. Many reasons might bring about the necessity for such elasticity, physical features, previous negotiations" for sale to the ''Government, and so on.” As to tho Commission itself,-the Native Minister remarked that from his own observation and knowledge tho work it was doing was a great colonial work. . It was bringing large areas of land into the region of possibility of settlement which previously were lying idle. It was scheduling blocks and conditions under which they were held, the ownership’, area, and quality of tho land, the important ’ question of defining reserves whether the land is suitable for pastoral or other purposes, and so on. “A work of great magnitude,” said the Minister, .“and- one which, once carried out will remove the chaos and doubt which has Joug been a source of trouble. It is,” he added, “not- only the actual settlement of the country that the Commission had been endeavoring to effect, but tho much wider field of the utilisation of areas which were formerly waste land, the improvement of the natives themselves, and the inculcation among them of habits of industry.” Tho work of the Commission must be looked at from that wider point of view, -but even from die detailed point of view it was apparent from the reports already published that a great deal of valuable work had been carried out. It was I win ted out to tiie Minister that in last week’s “Gazette” a large number oi areas were mentioned in regard to which private dealings were prohibited. That, lie said,' was' to leave the road perfectly clear for the work of the Commission, otherwise complications might arise through claims from private individuals basedon the fact that they had entered into negotiations in regard to the -land. The “Gazette” notice where there were dealings in those particular blocks, would prevent any such possibility arising. Generally speaking,, tho Minister appeared perfectly satisfied with t-lio progress made in regard to native land settlement during the past year. When llio legislation was going through the Opposition evidently desired delay. Jlis idea was that it would bo better to get tho principle laid down and tho work.well under way, leaving it to tho future to demonstrate any particular weaknesses in the details of the Act. So far the only weakness discovered is that in certain cases more elasticity is requ- - ' ired iujdividing the blocks into two areas, one for sale and one for leas- r ing. That, of course, means ail amending Bill, but the principle of the legisaltioii is not in any danger.

IDLE, UNPRODUCTIVE tiAND. STATEMENT BY SIR R. STOUT. [Special to “Times.”] AUCKLAND, June 23. Sir Robert Stout was asked regard- *i mg a statement in connection with the Kawhia Country; and King Country native land - problem. Articles had stated that 33 miles of frontage to Kawhia Harbor was in possession of the natives, and that in tho country itself 100,000 acres of the choicest land was lying idle, and unproductive. He explained that in Kawhia Country there are about 112,000 acres a of native land, but of that quantity about 45,000 acres is “papatupu’.’; that is, the relative title lias not- yet been ascertained. “Nothing,” he said, “can bu done with that land by the Comm mission until the title has been ascertained. ’J lie. Commission has already dealt with 30,000 acres of native land outside of the “papatupu” blocks to which 1 have referred, and the European and Crown lands at present iii occupation i s at least 140,000 acres of that country. It should also bo iiotd<l that a considerable area of the native lands there is composed of puro sandhills, or, il not, is land, of such a character as to he unsuitable fur settlement. It is estimated that the area of Iho land such as I have iusfc described is about 1.0,000 acres. Tho Commission has also scut in a report dealing with Ihe land at To Kuiti and in (he King Country. It will bo been I rein the report tlia't a vast area ol native-lands has either been leased to Europeans or that the Maoris aro willing to -lease it. and that they aro not keeping for themselves any "large area, in Rohepolae, again, I suppose a quarter'Tif a million acres of land have been leased to Europeans. I may .say that the* present position at Kawhia is that the -Maoris, including the “papatupu” blocks, do not hold as much land per head as do the Europeans settled therte:”.