THE NATIVE LAND QUESTION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2567, 30 July 1909, Page 3

THE NATIVE LAND QUESTION.

A Ml N! STE RIA L Aim nuUNCEMENT. I' THE ACTING-PREMIER AT PAPAWAI. (Per Press 'Association.) WELLINGTON, July 29. The Hon. Mr. Carroll attended, a meeting of natives at Papawai, Wairarapa, yesterday, arranged in honor of bis promotion to the post of ActingPremier. Speeches wore made by Messrs Parata, Wi Pero, and Buchanan, and an illuminated address was presented. t In his reply, Mr.’ Carroll said: The present time seems to be opportune forta careful consideration of the nativo land and other native problems, with the view to meeting the advancing needs of settlement and the altered circumstances of the Maoris. The State, during the past fifteen years, has been actively engaged through vari; cus channels in bringing the Maori people up to a point where they may bo admitted to the full rights, and ex pected to bear the full responsibilities of citizenship. The policy of the Government in respect of native lands so far as it lias been consciously expressed in legislation Gince 1-891, and by acts of administration during the same period, possesses the following cardinal features: —(a) In common _ with the Crown lands of the Dominion, to enforce limitation of holdings and to prevent aggregation of estates, freehold, or leasehold; (b) ‘by preventing, or restricting, ‘freetrade’ in native lands, to provide a wider range of tenants or selectors of such lands; (e) by purchase to acquire cheap lands to be settled on the optional tenure; (d) by vesting native lands in administrative bodies, to overcome difficulties arising out of imperfect titles, and so offer to the intending lessee or purchaser a guarantee of title ; (e) by purchase to extinguish Maori rights over lands through which extensive public works will be prosecuted. At the same time the necessary preliminary work- of vesting the Maori lands with titles lias been prosecuted with all the resources and machinery at command. Thus the area of untitled lands has been reduced from over two to about half a million acres'. Tho Courts have been constantly engaged in breaking clown the communal lands from tribal, to family and individual holdings. It must also be recognised that the Government established the Validation Court, which lias set at rest an enormous number of disputed claims to- native land arising out of the “freetrade” policy, and comprising a huge area. The time lias arrived for a consolidation of the work achieved. If there is to be a revision of methods of dealing with.the native land and other problems connected with them, it must be based on: —(a) A correct appreciation of the present conditions, needs, capacity of development, and average business intelligence of the Maori communities, their duties as citizens towards the State and the duties of the State’ towards them; (b) a correct estimate of how far the principles underlying the policy of the Government have been established, so that they may be trusted to stand while other methods are used to promote settlement subject to such governing, principles* The present position of the Maoris seems to he as follows:—(1) In a few districts the holdings are well individualised. Tho Maori owners have enjoyed half a century of contact with Europeans, the benefits of education, and the experience of a struggle in European environment. It may be ..assumed that the average Mf.qri under such circumstances should be entrusted with the full control of his lands, and he saddled with the attendant responsibilities; (2) in other districts the land is capable of individualisation, but is, at present, held in large communal blocks The nature of some of the lands will deter attempts to further subdivide it, and these should be acquired for settlement by direct purchase, or by vesting in Boards, or the owners may be compelled by obligation to meet local and general taxation to offer same for settlement; (3) in come districts, owing to congestion of ownershin, the cost of individualisation will eat up the value of the lands. In such districts a- system of settlement is required which will give individual holdings on lease to the Maoris, or cooperative farrding and settlement associations may he encouraged. The Maoris have also made considerable advances in many districts in farming.. More may be done to assist thorn. The older generation has almost died out, and the direction of affairs lias passed largely into the hands of younger men, on the whole well educated, and in .touch with the public opinion and needs of the country.. With this change has come a change in the attitude towards the land and it.s future. The vital question which hitherto has been “who owns the land?” has become “who shall use lands, and on what terms?” And with the change has grown the feeling that the State should do more than it lias done in the past in the direction of fitting the Maori to be a cultivator of the soil. The area of the Dominion, taking the North. South, and Stewart Islands is 66,340,910 acres or thereabouts. Of this tho Maoris own, in the North Island, 7,445,000 acres approximately. The area of Maori land in the other islands cannot be ascertained at present, but it is so small that mention need not be made of it. Dealing with the North Island, the position of. the native lands at the present time is as follows:

Acres. Under profitable occupation, (a) by Europeans under / lease and (b) by Maoris (estimated) ... ... 3,250,000 Vested in trust for settlement, or subject to recommendations of the Native Land Commission 2,120,647 Balance ... ... 2,073,964 Approximate total ... 7,445,000 This balance is made Up as follows: Untitled lands, or only partly investigated ... 570,5/2 Subject to the Urewera Native District Reserves Act 466,862 Subject to the Thermal Springs District Act ... 121,00/ Unclassified, for - the most 'part poor lands, ... 913,343 ' ‘ 2,073,964 During the period from 1891 to 1909, the Crown has acquired by purchase from the Maoris over 3,000,000 acres of lan|d for settlement. ' During the same period a large area, estimated at a quarter of a million acres, has been sold outright to Europeans. So that during that time' the proportion between lands sold and lands leased has been practically equal. As the vesting in trustees or boards for administrative purposes is a prominent feature, it may be well to state here the position in respect to trust estates:- . ~ ' Acres. Public Trustee, lease only ... 192,273 East Coast Trust lands, sale, lease', arid Maori' occupation 186,388

Special trusts and Mangatu Empowering Acts, lease only 116,464 Vested in Maori Land Boards under the Maori Land Administration Act, lease only 393,352 Being vestejd in Maori Land - Boards on recommendation of tho Commission,, lease and for sale ... ... 1,020,202 : ' ■ ~ • 1,908,679 The 'Commission also recommended for Maori occupation to be rendered inalienable except for settlement by Maoris an area of over 880,0000 acres. If these recommendations are adopted an[d the area added to tho area of lands held under various trusts, the total will be nearly 2,789,000 acres. It must he borne in mind, however, that nearly one-fifth of this total will be *soljd under the recommendations of the Commission, or under tho terms of trusts, so that eventually the amount that will remain to the Maoris, held in trust for them, or reserved under tho recommendations of the Commission will he, roughly, 2,290,000 acres, of which only 880,000 acres are available for use of the owners. Outside trust lands and lanjds to' be reserved in terms of the Commission’s recommendations there is an area of roughly 4,656,000'acre5. Of this, 2,401,000 acres are under lease to Europeans by direct negotiation. (Many of the leases are nearly at an end, so that a considerable area of improved land will he' reverting to the Maori owners.) Nearly one-half of tho balianed is, owing to the' nature of, or the want of titles, not immediately available* for settlement, by either Maoris or Europeans. This consists chiefly of lands in the Urewera country, lands to the north-east of Opotiki, the thermal springs (district, and the north of Auckland. For Maori occupation, available at the present time, there is, taking the Commission’s recommendations, an area of 880,000 acres. To this may he added 50,000 acres not touched by the Commission’s report, making a total of 930,000 acres. It is estimated that 400,000 acres of this is' profitably occupied. The Govern'ment is faced with two problems, the first the settlement of the land by Europeans by lease or sale, the other the settlement of the Maoris on their own lanjds. The former is provided for in ipart, and it is proposed to extend provision as set forth below. The latter is a more difficult question. If within the area reserved for their use and occupation the Maoris of this generation are not encouraged, directed, and assistejd to utilise their lands, it'is inevitable that with the occupation of the surrounding lands, the pressure of settlement must demand their giving their reserves up. It is not sufficient that an area should he reserved. The situation demands that the reserves should he utilised by idireot labor of the Maori owners. And the very obstacles that have delayed the opening of the ether lands to general settlement will stand in the way of tho settlement of the reserves by the Maoris unless the most ample provision is made. The State may, of course, deliberately hold a fair proportion of lands in trust for the 'Maoris, anjd as a provision for them. But in my opinion the State can make such provision only on tho assumption that a succeeding generation of,Maoris will be better trained than the present to utilise their lands. Both problems, or rather both aspects of the problem may be taken into account in framing the general proposals which aro herewith submitted for consideration. The proposals arc these: (1.) That the State shall put itself in the position, of saying to the Maoris, “All that can be reasonably done _ to •assist you to become efficient -occupiers bf your lands has been done,” so that the State may also be in a position to say. “You are now required to fulfil your responsibilities as ordinary citizens of the Dominion.” For this purpose there should be emphasised in the system of native education, agricultural education. Suitable , candidates should be selected to obtain practical experience in branches of farming most likely to benefit the districts from wliien they are selected. The attention of instructors tinkler the Agrieultura l Department might be directed to Maori farming communities. (2.) The cost of investigating and clothing Native lands with titles that may he used in negotiations for sale and lease or for settlement by the owners is known to be enormous, and is borne' entirely by tho Maori owners. They consist of court fees, survey costs, and legal expenses. The State might assist the Maori owners by providing greater facilities at a lower rate for survey of native lands by contributing towarjds the cost of preparing suitable 'roadiug schemes on, the partition of ■lands, and toward the cost of consolidating interests and holdings. (3.) The resources of the Government Advances tp Settlers should be made increasingly available to Maori settlers. (4.) That the legislation affecting Inative lands be consolidated and modified, so as to conform .as much as possible to the conditions now obtaining. In this connection I submit the following modifications: ,(a) In the mode of determining titles, successors, partition and exchanges to modify native customs and usages, so that the holdings may, at the end of the investigation, he available in convenient blocks anjd with sufficient titles for settlement purposes. (b) That where the business intelligence of the Maori landowners has

reached an av-T'ge standard, the conduct of their Luoiuecs may bo entrusted to them, and th bo asked to share the fair responsibility, of landowncrsliifi. The to st, should b A', whether the holdings are held; by a conveniently small number'of owners. Tho general restriction against alienation will be 'removed in such cases, subject to approval of all dealings by statutory hoards. r , (c) That tho Maoris should bo increasingly thrown on their own, resources and made to feel tho need of sharing increasingly in local and general taxation. Details under this heading* will be submitted for your consideration later.

(d)’That the improvidence exhibited in the past in regard to the proceeds of land sales remains a serious difficulty, necessitating the making of special provision in any system of Crown purchases from tho Maoris. The purchases by the Crown should, as far as possible, be conducted through the Maori Land Boards, acting as agents for the owners. Provision may he made for devoting a' percentage of proceeds of sales oi; revenue from lands to - general purposes of utility to the Maoris, such as hygiene, education, etc. The legislation necessary will bo as follows: — 1. A Native Land Court Bill dealing only with titles, and everything relating to alienation eliminated. 2. A Native Land Settlement Bill, dealing, with alienation, the control and administration by boards, and making extended provision for the settlement of Maoris on their lands.

3. A Native Land Rating Bill. 4. An amendment to the Advances to Settlers Act providing that portions of loan moneys may be earmarked for advances to Maori settlers. I mav say, in conclusion, that if the nntive land problem wore only a question of the disposal of nativo lands, without reference to the position of the Maoris, it is. possible of the easiest solution in one or other of the many ways suggested in current journalism.