MR. MASSEY'S TOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 22, 25 January 1913, Page 10

MR. MASSEY'S TOUR.

".THE TATTPO LDTE. ■<.OVERVMEXT CROED TO COMPLETE. ONLY ji> MILES TO BUILD. ''■'•> T'-ifgriph.—Special to ".■*tar.") TAUPO. Friday. Primp MinL-t.T i the llul. W. F. ) ;,t:-J thp Ministerial party now rh- Taupo district, had a busy "-■ :o-day. The forenoon was spent in -i>v\w: ecrcie rif thp ihernuil sights of :S<- •: An:-. a , of Mr. F. G. Dal-r.ii-i • •ijairiDia v; directors of the Taupo Tijtara Tirnb-r Cumpanyl, who treatt-d Tln-ni -virU great hospitality. The visit.r- -.-. tp takf!} iiv motor ears to K_xrariti :■!'«>!,■.!>•. and thence un tv Wairakei. ■■j- :< p:i:ar tourist A little :at-r "he." pr.j. ceded to Geyser Valley. fair.. :s time wi= limited, madp only a curri-ir; inspection of the but lake? and C'.'.'r!>-,u tin locality. .Vfter luncheon r.T Wawakei. thp party returned to Paupi'J'whicli i- a >!i:-t3nve irf six mile? ; NATIVE NEBDP. \' lafpr placp. Mr. Masscv wa= ;r-\: Draie-j ny i representative gathering '■! reiident* in the Doißain. . A large uan-.'Ci! n haka. with all i;~ o!<i. fine enHoko Piitriiii, j Maori on bfha'i of th' nurvp- of thi- districx, pnvnttil i-i ;■!•■> Premier .i petition ex- ; the delight of the natives at >euin.L' Mr. Ma.-sey them. Many Premier:- hail visited the ilistrict. but none- i»f tiicni had -hown -any desire to ni'vi ;hr- Maoris. The petrtion then set out -■•mi of the deemed io i* necft3«j.rv ill the intcrf-is af the

naiive-% Th ■ of these was a ra.ilway from I'utiiri'rn t" Taupo. If the Government decided to adopt the Totara Tim-ber line t!ie natives were prepered to irrant a strip of la-nd a chain -vide for tlie ••xtensiu.'i from Mokjii. and an acre of land at every station. It was

further desired that a native land office should be opened in Taupo. as the Au-ck-la.i!-.i and \\ eliimiton offices were far, far awuv. that a native land commissioner shoulj be appointed. Certain !arrd~ had oei.-n pa.-=i-d over to the timber rorrrpanif.-, and the commissioner, if appointed, would be able to iind out how th.--i- lands >hould be subdivided, and

thus crbviate any difficulties -between the eompaafo* and the natives. The value of landr should not be those values that had pertained in the past, but the lands should be revalued. In '.he years gone hy land had been purchased from the n&tivp?-Hi Io *1D and now a quarter of an acre in the townsl.Vp could not be purchased for less than £+<"-. These •■cere the points that the natives would rospeetflillv request the Prime Minister in .-oniddfr.

The Prime Minister, replying through the medium of an interpreter, thanked the Maoris for their hearty welcome. It

W.i- !.:•='wish "hat their welfare and haippini'?- .jlvuuld be cTJii-.-itiereri as much I n- th«" welfare and happiness of the si'til'-r- of European descent. As far as ■.he taking of the Taupo Company's line,' as had been -utrirested by the natives. concernt>il, he was there to inspect +lie country, and to report to his rol-'.->TL»i:e~ fu th- two proposals now before •V i'rnnii'ni. The Government u.itild .'.M-iclp whether it would be jir*tiMcd in spending "hf ncvessary public money "R the s.-henif. He would place ihr request.- dealing with native lands h<"fnre Mr. Herrics, the Minister in charge-of -ihat department. He mrerht i-.i} tfi.-i' lie w.is in favour rrf wiving them pv.rv f.irHity for subdividing, and parti- »:.-■ i ■ the areas, and for individualising their tit,,-.-. -■> that each family mig-lit own il.- own land. As far as the land required for rho settlement of Maoris was concerned, he thoroughly agreed with the request that the natives should h.-.ve the land that they were entitled to. and thai .my land sold should be s-old at its piv--<'nr value. Legislation brought down- i.i.-t session provided that any njitivje.ptpple who de.-ired to sell their lan>l«-"**Yftild realise th.- full market vjf'i •,-• ;i. Part oi t-he money would ■- : ■ ' over to the native owners and ]'■'■' '• would bt> invested for their «o tintt they would receive an amma! income io live on. Concluding, Mr. Missey he earnestly desired to see the Maori* raised to the same level as the pskeha. (Cheers.) TADPO RAILWAY LEAGUE. The n ;xt business of the Prime Minisier -was to receive a, deputation from the TaiißO Railway League. trrging that the «inv-t".rnment should utilise the Totara •CLmber Company's line for opening up the Tanpo district. Messrs. A. 5. G-ra-liain and R. Graham were the chief ■spokesmen in urging th.it the Tine should fee acfjnired. They said they did so oetuiuse they considered the proposed line from Roionm -was a fantastic dream. ■whereas '£he. % T.inpo Company's line was an ac-conrplfebed iac/t. except for the last T5 or 20-niile?. The Pntarnra lines had ;He ~upp»ri-ef the majority of the people in AiicklaMCiihe Auckland newspapers, ard the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. There w<»re 4.000.0Q0 acres of Crown lands a fleeted- by the railway, and it-was a very small estimate to say "that tfo land woaH increase in price by 10/ an acw it ffie line were a-cquired. Thia ■a-ould mean that the Government would be enriched to the extent of £2,000,0<K). This vrould be sufficient to pay for the 'inc. There were at present practically trjn million acres in the Tawpo foasin , idle, ■which would be tapped "by the proposed line.

Mr. M-a-ssey. in refjlcjng. stated that the Cabinet would have to decide the raatttT before he could promise anything. Ti way liis wish that Taupo phonW releiTP its fair share of public expendi-

The party went on to Mokai. the termin-uf of the Tatrpo Company's line to-night. :ip.(l will take a trip up the line a« far as Piitarnm to-morrow.

WELCOME TO 3IOKAI. WHAT THE CAMPAXY ASKS. MIXfSTF.R TMPRTSSED. (By Tfiegrjp'.i.—Sperlal to " Star. ,, ) MORAJ, this day. Tlif Miniiierial part}- arrived fit i r fika.i, the termincs of the Tanpo Toani Timber Companys ra.ilwa.y-, at seven o'clock hi.= t from Taupe, and -W.I.- enleTUilnKl at dinner hy the comin tiie I'jmmixlious itining room, need by the employees. Afterwards a mcWni.irr "f the c»mpAny ! 3 employees was he.iT ::T r:ip f< joulroora to welcome Mr 3'!cS?t , t. There was an attendance of Sbofli gisty mc a and their wives. i£r »n ij»half of tie workers, that the Government eiould grant ci>uij>any a license- to~cany staDs,

pae&engers and freight on their line. At present the employees were sometimes conveyed ak-ag uhe line, but there was no proper provision for rhem. If the necessary license were granted tilie difficulty would be don-e atv-ay with. If the <«evernm-ent took cirer control of the line it would aleo mean the opening up of the Taupo country to Lhe extent of a radium of thirty inilee. THREE .'SCHEMES. Mr F. G. Dalzell, chairman of tlie Taupo Timber Company, stated ihat the company entered intc the eawmijlinff business it had been given to understand that f-opae five hundred million feet of timber wae available, but ;6irbsequent investigations bad proved that taere was only 120,000.000 feet to bo cut. The sum of £300,000 had been expemied in the enterprise. The railway had cost the company the earn of £130, (Kin. and what the company desired »vas i 1 i For the Government to take over th.- railway at the actual value, ench sum no: to exceed the cost of construction: (2| That thp company should be F-mpowpred to imstiUute freight rate* that would produce a reasonable rate of interest. fn the circumstances it wan not. desired that the Government should ; -ike over the line straight away, but at such time as the present, timber supply was worked out: (3) Tn order that the 00-rernment might do this, it was desirable that the present facilities should be- improved to ena-ble the land to be developed, so that when the time came for trie Government to assume control the line would be a paying one. Mr Dalzell then referred to the great possibility of tlie Taupo district, and the developments that would result from the railway being opened for pnblic freight J and traffic.

Tiie Premier replied that he could not commit hn= colleagues to anything at the present juncture, but would make an announreme-nt after hie report to Cabinet an the result of his investigations in the district had been fully discussed. He ry.iJiepd that the country had great poeKihilities. and would in years to e.ime bo thickly settled. He hoped he might he able to do his share in that developmeirt.

Early this morning- :Mr Maeeey wae welcomed by the Maoris in "native fashion, and afterwards left by (he company* line for Putaruru. He ;ntende to connect there in the afternoon with Use Rotorua mail train.