WAITANGI ESTATE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 51, 9 December 1932, Page 7

WAITANGI ESTATE

LORD BLEDISLOE'S GENEROSITY.

FURTHER GIFT TO DOMINION.

(Special to the "Guardian.") YY'lULliiiNUl'OM, December 8. Cabinet's grateful acceptance of two furtner vice-regal otters in connection witn the preservation and rehabilitation of the site on which tne lreaty ol Waitangi was signed was announced by Mr Forbes in tne House. The .Prime Minister stated that, in view of the urgent necessity ox putcmg } in hand the rehabilitation of tne historic premises, and in order to remove anxiety relative to the financial position of the Waitangi National Trust, the Governor-General and Lady Bledisloe had made the following two proposals to the Government:— (1) The balance of the land, an area of 1300 acres, forming part of the old Waitangi estate, situated in its hinterland and not included in the gift of Mayt-10 last, to be vested by their Excellencies under a separate deed of gift in the Government, with a view to making it immediately available, for afforestation under 999 years' lease at a peppercorn rental, the work of affori estation to be put in hand at the -earliest possible moment, the ultimate net revenue from this property, whether under timber or not, to be shared equally by the Government and the Waitangi Trust. (2) Rehabilitation of the treaty house and its immediate surroundings to be provided for by a Waitangi renovation fund in the hands of trustees to which the public shall be invited to contribute, and to which their Excellencies have signified their readiness to contribute £IOOO, spread over two years. If, such renovation fund is initiated, their Excellencies feel that there are probably many public-spirit-ed bodies and individuals who will follow suit.

Gratefully Accepted. "The proposals," continued # the Prime Minister, "have received the consideration of Cabinet, and the Government has decided to accept most gratefully both these additional offers, and has agreed to make a grant of £SOO for the purpose of renovating the buildings and fences, one-half of this amount being made available this financial year. In addition, the Government proposes to arrange for unemployment relief funds to be expended in cleaning the land and on other works which may be required. lor this purpose it is intended to establish an unemployment relief, camp in the locality." Mr Forbes said that some misapprehension might exist as to payment of the cost of acquisition of the additional area of land described in the Waitangi National Trust Board Bill as the historic reserve, and in respect or which an item of £SOO on the Supplementary Estimates had been passed as estimated compensation for the area which had already been taken under the Public Works Act. The Prime Minister made it clear that the Bill provided for payment for that area ' bv or on behalf of ihe Trust Board as a credit-in aid of the vote mentioned, therefore no portion of the compensation money would eventually be a charge upon the public funds of the Dominion. A Very Generous Action. "I feel certain," the Prime Minister added, "that I am voicing the opinion, not only of members of the House, but also of ciFizens generally, when I say that we appreciate most wholeheartedly the very generous action of their Excellencies "in enabling this historic site to be presented to the nation for all time. Of the many tangible evidences of the keen interest their Excellencies have displayed in the welfare of New Zealand, this gift of the Waitangi site is outstanding, and will increase in no small measure the already deep esteem and appreciation in which they are held."