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Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12144, 23 September 1907, Page 5

The "Hawera Star" undea-stands-that. an important new departure in connection with Parihaka is in contemplation by the Public Trustee. The report current is that it has been decided tocut out of the Parihaka block, which ... consists of some thousands of acres, an area which it is proposed to subdivide ' and to lease to individual natives under a license to'occupy. The effect of this will be that so much of the. block as :; may be cut out and taken up by *he-,v natives will be held by them as indivi- ■.- duals instead of u the > land being occupied, under a communal rule. Probably <a etai-fewill be made with several hun-^-i. dred acres, and if it issfoutid that x&^ • lives will take up this "land and occupylit and use it, say for dairy, farming,, further areas' can be withdrawn -iroms. .communal occupation and• treated simi--larly. The matter has it is understood., been mentioned at Parihaka by theagent of the Public Trustee, and 1-as not met with an unfavourable "reception from the natives. If this experiment prove a success it will probably have most beneficial •effects in stimulating the natives to individua effort aradT* breaking down the. idleness- and: tin—?..' thrift (if there be nothing worse) ofwhich Parihaka has long been a centre There is, we understand, plenty of landC on which to make the experiment. lit; the West Coast Settlements Commissioners' report the Parihaka Block is spoken of as containing 25,000 aox'es^ and at the moment of writing we do>not recollect how far, if at all, bhisaereage has been reduced by subsequent dealings, but in any case it must le--of considerable area, for it estendti from the road-line up to the foi^st >eserve, and much of it should be of very - good quality. So of the natives are disposed to go in for individual occupation:* there should be room for a good many without very rudely interfering -withr those who for the time being may pre—• fer the communal life. -