KING COUNTRY LANDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 37, 12 February 1910, Page 10

KING COUNTRY LANDS.

A MINISTERIAL VISIT. TlON r . DR. FINDLAY INTERVIEWED. 'The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice (the Hon. Dr. Findlay) arrived by the express this morning from Te Awamutu, and is staying at the Grand Hotel. Interviewed by a "Star" representative, the Minister said he had fulfilled a promise of long standing, and travelled through the King Country as far as Kawhia. "From Te Awamutu I proceeded to Kawhia by coach," said the Hon. Dr. Findlay, "and at Kawhia met a number of people and received several deputations. It is impossible to escape the feeling that Kawhia has not advanced as much during the last decade as it should have done, considering its splendid harbour and the rich and fertile lands which surround it. If one looks at the map, it will he seen that Kawhia is practically surrounded by land held by native owners. There can be no doubt that the great difficulty in the past which has been experienced in regard to obtaining •titles over native land has seriously impeded progress and settlement. I found the people of Kawhia much interested in the Native Land Act of last session, which facilitates and provides for the obtaining of land in proper cases from the native owners. The general feeling seems to be that the new law will so greatly reduce the expense of obtaining titles, and so facilitate their completion, that a new stimulus will be given to settlement, and large areas of fertile rand that have so long remained unused about the shores of the magnificent Kawhia Harbour will be occupied and cultivated. From what I saw on my recent visit, there should now be a marked stride forward in the prosperity of Kawhia and the surrounding district. The fact that the new Act provides for the expenditure of £500,000 per year in acquiring native land greatly heartens the people in that district, and they are hoping that some of the large and fertile areas there may be acquired for European settlement."