MAORIS AS FARMERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 249, 20 October 1928, Page 10

MAORIS AS FARMERS.

SETTLEMENT IN ' NORTH.

IOtPUUTOBbABDr VENTUTKE.

JUDGE IACHESON! ENTHUSIASTIC.

;• ; An 'answer to the ' question as to whether members of' the Maori race are, capable. pf : applying: !themselves effectively to" industry - is: provided by the success- of a dairying ..settlement- at Te Kao, nearParengarenga, nearly 300 miles north ;of- Auckland.' In a unique maimer this settlement is fathered by the TokerauJLand: Board from- its headquarters in?-Ancldand, and, those who at;e familiar with what is being accomplished state, that much of - the credit .is due to Judge. Acheson, who,, as president of the board, has been very. largely responsible for tike-: development ■of .the scheme.' '-'Anyone less, enthsiiisatic," said one who its." conversant with .the»project, "would h4ye been Jtaffled by the. many difficulties, and disheartened by the innumerable obstacles. Which have had to be overcome."'

. That thereis no longer cause for disheartenment must -be gratifying to Judge Acheson and everybody connected with, the settlement. After three years of. fathering by the Land .Board it is expected, that, this year one-third of the Maori people at work on the 35. farms will. the. stage of, being. -selfsupporting. With the helpful co-opera-jtioQ .of .the Agricultural . Department the board, .purchases all- supplies such:, as [implements* 'grass seed, cattle, rolling stock, and. the. like,.in; bulk, t- The proportionate .c.o;sjt. is charged to each of the 35. Aooanots,. .sod. .49. returns come to

hand from the sale of cream, credits are put. .through, .to. the. .producers. Three tim«p a week a two-ton motor lorry runs Coast, a distance of about 45 miles, to the Kaitaia .butter factory, Mar Awanui. , Kaitaia' butter is well known as. a prize - product at various

. . as Supervisor. °f success in an of this kind is effective P° int oj operation. fortun*+i» • concerned have been supervisor Mr. but now the J at Te K&o. atlve Bchool Education ! W ?? th ® devote part ls iL able to work. As an enthusiast Mr*" with undertaking and he " ;v 1 ' • i.J-;.;.-; id. Nt

advice of-: Mr. Hamblyn, the representative in Whangarei of the Department of Agriculture. ;

In * size the farms range. from. 20to 150 acres,- and at present each carries from five to 25 cows. It is hoped the, near future; to materially increase the carrying capacity of the farms. The plant, at 1 tlre r settlement; • includes? a tractor, cultivators, ploughs, various other implements -and two lorries. Charges are levied - proportionately. ; The Maoris are assisted -by the board in developing their holdings, even to the extent of <being> paid wages, to provide food ' While deprived of their revenue from the digging of gum. This really amounts to-a system ; ofbook entry, as credits; are . put through. to .the .various farms. For -the • benefit of the native farmers also a .store-is conducted oncooperative lines. .-'

Problem of t Grasses. . ■ Te : Kao Valley lies on either side of the stream of that name. It. serves the purposes of the settlement especially well because of its fertility. On the fertile: areas : English grasses are used. On more-sandy areas there has been difficulty in finding a suitable grass. Through the co-operation of the Department of Agriculture, however,, an African grass has-been found; to be. suitable. It is .known , as: kikuyu grass, and its qualities somewhat resemble those of buffalo; grass. The only handicap is that it has to be hand sown. As indicating the extent of the trading operations of the. settlement, it may be mentioned that last year an amount of approximately £500 was expended for the purchase of grass. By handling the purchases as a whole the board is able to buy effectively. It is understood to be likely that the Tokerau Land' 'Board will enlarge the idea of the settlement farming scheme for natives as opportunity offers. In earlier times the Maoris in Manganui Qounty were largely dependent upon the kauri guin industry for their livelihood. . Much Of the land which remains from this vanishing industry is suitable only for afforestation, but' hei*e and |there are areas which. Would serve admirably ' for settlement . dairying. 'At Te Kao between .1500 and 2000 actes are being developed. Given proper supervision, there is no reason why settlements should not be adopted elsewhere with similar success.

On the East <to*st of IJ»e North Island, under,, the leadership of Sir Apiraha*Neata, pastoral settlement has been effectively established for Maoris If settlements similar to this and. to the dairying.- venture in the North :jqan be duplicated to a sufficient extent, who can say but that they may " be the nieans jof establishing .the Maoris as an industrious, contented • and ' happy ..- race i® ; the: years that lit ahead! I 1 r. •! ••