TENDERS FOR NATIVE LANDS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2383, 26 December 1908, Page 6

TENDERS FOR NATIVE LANDS.

SCARCITY OF APPLICANTS

Tho Tai-Rawhiti 'Maori Land Board dealt with the tenders received for the lease of 20,000- i acrc9 of Maori lands in the- Hawke’s 'Bay district on Thursday. The number of tenders, despite the fact that the lands were well advertised.* was small. Lot 5, Ohinepoutea/""200 acres, has been leased to'Mr Wm. Mcdutchie, a settler in the locality, whilst lot 6 of the same block,/ 50 acres, has been leased to Hera Ngawati Two informal tenders aver© received for Ngawati, and they were rejected, as the financial conditions were not complied with. The block is 18 miles from Tuparoa, and is served by the Tapuwaeroa Valley road, upon which .-£IOOO has recently been spent by the Waiapu Council in forming a dray road. This, together with the remaining undisposed sections, will rei (main open at the upset price fixed, and is expected to be early taken up. There was no inquiry for lot 7, Ahiaparua, 550 acres, which is somewhat inaccessible. The Ahirau No. 2 block, 600 'acres, and tho three Tv’h aka-a-n gi an g i blocks, together with three sections of the Waipaoa No. 5 block, Upper Ruakituri, were withdrawn from tender for the purpose of complying -with an agreement to let ‘them to representatives nominated by the Native owners. These Maori settlers will be required to pay ■rent to the Board in tho usual way, and also assist the Counties = interested in the matter of rates. No offer was received for the three remaining blocks of the Waipaoa land offered, which had also been freely inquired for. Mr A. Keefer, President of the Board, stated that he was disappointed with the result of their first effort to place land on the market, although they had kept faith with the public in placing it at their disposal at the earliest possible date. Wide publicity had been given to the intimation that the land was available, and numerous inquiries had been received, not only throughout the district, but even from as far south as Canterbury, so that he was at a loss to know why it had not been more successful. As to the areas withdrawn from tender, some of these had been the subject of recommendations bv the Native Land Commission, and were actually in occupation by the parties nominated. There won id be no delay whatever, although they had gone to Natives, in the settlement of these blocks.