MAORI HANDS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 159, 30 March 1908, Page 9

MAORI HANDS.

THE 'WORK OF THE COMMISSipN."' STATEMENT BY SIR R STOUT . (BT XEI.EGRAI'n—PRESS ASSCCCIAtaoN.) ' ■ .-1 . ••••.•-.<'Aiiqktend, Jfarch '28. ■ ..'^Sir./Robert^Stout: and'^, Ngata', ,'consti,tut:iiig ' the;; Native. ;oLaii;d . '.Comniissiprie.rs,- : paying cpippleted' thefr tlie Rodney, Hobs.oiii ■ Otamatea, .. and AVpitemata 'counties,'..the ph'ief .."justice ; j gave' some; -in-; torosting '..informationVto HlO extent : of land 111. these \ counties owned and occupied by Maoris. '• ' y ''[y: ■■ ,i : Tho one thing' that strikes me most for■cibly," s.aid, Sjr.ltehert, "is tho. small arch of land inj tho pouiiticsl'tliat js' ill the ocpiipa-, jtion of Maoris,.. Epr, example, in the Rp.dney bounty- there; areoiily, 'ajiout' niije thousand .acres,- ?nd |Q_soo"acres .of'tho total? are held' : t>y: one family,consisting : pf 'childreji ' and .'grandchildren.., ■ tho , quality of the land, it. is not 'a largo area' if the numbor pf persons: is • .'ln vWaitemata there? pre -thaii fjboiit 7000, ■acreS'in'the occupatio'n of Maoris:' 'Thero is, hpweiver,. about another 7000-acres of 'Maori land'.under lease .to Europeans? In. Otan'ia;tea: cpunty.'-the're:: ai-ovoiily about, 6000'acre«' : jn the..possession pf.Maoris." The'rp-is'in':tliis county,-however,"'a considerable area, about 30,000 acres, belonging; to - Maoris under lease.: In.-Hobson county: there.;is' a' larger area of . Maori land, about' 70,000 acres, but" of, this? area", there' aro; about?'4o,ooo a,cre§' .under 'leabp ,;to?'-Europeans,so' .that there is only; 30,000' acresj in,, Maori occupation, apd half, that is - cbvered with, drift .'sand," though it 'might'. perhaps, be sown.. with.. marama' grass., . You .will see, .thnrefore, that, so'far, qs the, lands iiij these. four counties are; in tho: oanipation'. ,of.-[ Maoj-isj,.' tlio . area is .very limited." . , :'■ •. " ' ' ,

In reply to a question as to his impres-. 510ns. of; the-progress of the t .KaiparV. district. Sir Robert Stout .said:— - , ■.. ; ■ "/I'/saw. great/progress sinco I yi'sitecl -it first, noiv .twenty-threeyears,* ago. . The people seem to . jje .taking.. to. farijijng.- .1 found that Natives', many .of them landless, had drifted to Ilobson county from other parts, of tho, cplpny for, gunirdiggjng, but ijow '.that the.' gum;digging liot so ; prosp.erpus as formerly, they.-arotaking -up-dairy-ing and farming,'' .There seonis.'to. be-a great future ■ for 1 tho district •in this dipeotiori;" • The,; success , that lias: : attended tho. Hon. 'J. Carroll's negqtiatigns witli.tlio ■ Urewera Natives.;.for the .opening up'.of their. land.for' prospecting and settlement was mentioned .to. Sir Robert Stoiit, who said the result was ipo§t: satisfactory., ..Tlio Native "Land 1 ppmmjssion, it appears, liacl> already toin'\thb'-\TJr»wera : -NatiyiM : an offer of'between 20,00P and 30,000' acres, for settlement, $nd Sir. Robert said-ha:liad no' doubt that, With Mr.: Carroll's influence, .ho would )>e able to'. get much more.'. Some of tho land is first-class for. settlement .purposos'.' , Sii: 'Robert Stout and Mv. Ngata leave Auckland .on Moridgy' for, /Whangarei,.. and" they. : hope to ! finish tl\cre' ip 'two or three ••day?,.': They.rivUl probably come: hack here, .and go: to tho Bay of Islands next Monday, being duo at Kawakawa 011 .■Wednesday- 1 They, go .thenco .to Kaikohe, Russpll,' Mangonni, -and ; AVhaiigaroi. .:',.V; ■ OPENING OF THE TIREWFR V Auckland, March 28. . : The 1 Urewera Natives, as. a result of. the conference with • Mr. Carroll, Jlipister- for Native Affairs, have finally agreed, tliat. their land,.shall be open for prospecting, fipd ,bp utilised in aocordancs ■ with .tho new lipd lfiws for agricultural purposes.

: In this growing competition between two .Navjra, this strugglo between'tiro imperial isms, this rivalry between tho Etlgljshroan sjnd tho. German, lies' for Republican Franco the permanent ppfil,- the eternally disturbing elomont of its foreign' )>olicy in the .twentieth century.—"Action," Paris. ■ •-.' . Mr.'Roosevclfc lias managed to crowd more things into 'In's. forty-njno years than any other mail of his time;—" Sun," Baltimore; Parisians do not know any longer what real, deep, restoring-sleep, is. It is tholfick pf this which is giving modern' generations their colourless lips,' pain faces, and feverish oyes.— ■" Echo do Paris." Pcoplo used to think that- sciencc ii'asa stern onemy of ' gaiety. This view mil b0 changed now that an American professorhas •discovered that ■music has -a', remarkable influence on the growth of. flowers and plants. Trombone solos will soon be played in potato fields;- and recitals will be given wherever cabbages, carrots,' or "turnips are grown.— IPetit Bleu," Brussels.,