IDLE NATIVE LANDS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1111, 26 April 1911, Page 7

IDLE NATIVE LANDS.

KEEPING THE COUNTRY'BACK. (By Tdcsraph.—Special Correspondent.! Auckland, April 25. During their tour of the Bay cf Plenty district, the members of the Parliamentary party were afforded ample evidence of the great drawback to settlement involved in the lockingup of _the Native lands. Sido by, side with rich areas broken in by Europeans and producing thousands of pounds per annum in maize and dairy produce, they saw vast tracts ,of Native land lying, in most cases, absolutely unproductive, and in some instances supporting only a few pigs, horses, and cattle.. ( '■ . to' : a "Herald" representative on the subject yesterday, Mr. G. L. Peacocke, , chairman of the Auckland Railways League, said ..ho was struck during the tour by the serious drag upon tho progress of the district caused by tho enormous proportion of fertile land still lying unimproved and producing nothing, either in agricultural wealth or rates,, to assist tho local bodies. "For' many miles," ho went on to say, "we passed by Native land, the value of which is being yearly enhanced by the expenditure of local funds, and yet does not contribute one shilling in rates. This is naturally felt as a serious grievanco by the European settlers, and it must be admitted that such a state of things is absolutely unfair as between two races of people equally citizens of the Dominion.

."One glaring case is that in which Nativo land held by Europeans on lease vras contributing £60 a year' in rates to tlio County Council, bcforo the end of the term. Whon the lease expired, the Natives refused to renew it, and occupied the land themselves, and from that day on the land immediately ceased to pay rates, although, if still occupied by the European lessees,- it would at tho present valuation be returning £200 por annum in rates to the local authority. Tho Nativo occupiers' are thus reaping _a large return from this property, which was improved by the industry of the former lessees, and would not have the slightest difficulty in paying rates out of their profits on the land. "The settlement of tho Native lands difficulty is closely connected with tho profitable running of tho railways in the North Island, since tho natural increase of population in tho district affected is retarded to a vast extent by the failure to profitably utilise these rich, undeveloped sources of wealth. There can be no reasonable doubt that the solution upon practical lines, of the Nativo land problem is of the very highest importance in the publio 'interests of the Dominion."