MR. M'NAB'S TOUR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 188, 4 May 1908, Page 7

MR. M'NAB'S TOUR.

THE KINLOCH SETTLEMENT. , EMBARRASSED SETTLERS. ' The Minister for Lands : (the Hon. R. M'Nab) returned from his .visit to.Akaroa, Little' River, ; and the Kinloch Settlement yesterday. The Minister did , not go over the Kinloch Settlement, but received a large deputation of the settlors, which waited upon him at the railway .station;, The settlers have passed through the vicissitudes usual in comparatively now settlements, and have had"' the additional: embarrassments of tho ■ last two yoars of drought, which was very severo in the district. Their lands havo not gone forward as much as' they otherwise might during the last year or two, arid the high figure paid for the properties has' left tho owners a smaller' margin than in tho case of other settlements. . Some- of tho settlers in consequence have been rather pinched. Tho Minister directed the settlers as to the course to take oh submitting their cases to the Land Board,', by whom, ho said, they would have to be doalt. On Friday the Minister had 'lunch at Little River, and then travelled by motorcar across to Akaroa. He had not previously visited that part of Canterbury, and he expressed himself as very pleased with what he saw of Banks Peninsula.' Tho stated grievances of the Kinloch settlers had prepared him for some striking evidences of tho effect of the recent drought, but he found tho various holdings along the road looking prosperous and well cultivated. The Minister was particularly interested in seeing' Onawe Peninsula, a spot momorablo in connection with events in the early history of the South Island. Onawo was the scono of one of the Maori battles which rosulted in reducing the 1 South Island Maoris to very small numbers. Tho whole' journey, said the Minister, had been most 'onjoyablo, and ho was particularly pleased with tho beauty of tho Akaroa harbour. 1 Tho Minister arrived at -Akaroa about 6 o'clock, and sjjent the evening interviewing somo old identities, whoso reminiscences had a upon the historical records on which ho is at work. :