NATIVE LANDS COMMISSION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 313, 28 September 1908, Page 8

NATIVE LANDS COMMISSION.

, THE WAITUTUMA BLOCK. 'A sitting of the Native Land Commission was held at the Supreme Court on Saturday morning before the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) and Mr. A. .T. Ngata, to hear tho views of owners of the Waittttuma- Block. About a dozen Natives interested in-the land were, present. .••••• The first matter dealt with was the Wai-, tutuma IA. block, covering about 17,800 acres of rough broken land in the South "Wairarapa, hear Cape Palliser. ? There are 39 owners in tho. block, the interests' varying from 71 acres to 1200 acres. A title partition order was issued on July, 15, 1895, and tho land was incorporated on April 17, 1907. Subsequent proceedings for the election of a committee proved abortive through failure to comply with; the regulations. The owners asked that the committee be validated by somo process so as to, enable them to ■ deal with the land.. It was stated that tho owners of .'the. block have'met several times in regard to the election of; a committee, but,' owing to the difficulty in appointing the committee, tney became tired of tho matter, and when the Gazette notice of the present sitting of the commission was issued,' tho owners decided to try,again to have the matter settled, their wish being to have the committee validated as soon as,possible. The owners desire the commission to make a recommendation that the committee be validated.The people were also anxious , that the block should be partitioned, as some were anxious to sell and 1 take up other lands, others wished to lease; and another' section de'sired to, retain their interests arid work' the'land themselves. In reference to'Waitutumu IB.', a block of. 200 acres of second-class land . difficult of access, the owners pointed out that they wished to . sell-outright. A further lot ,;of 4800 acres of Waitutuma land. also came under notice, the owners wishing this to be sold. Af tor hearing the views of the owners present, the commission' adjourned until October 6 to hear' another witness who is at present in the Hospital.. It ■ is '-understood' that after. the committee has boon-validated something like 10,005 acres will be open for' settlement. •