THE.MOKAU LANDS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1185, 21 July 1911, Page 7

THE.MOKAU LANDS.

ACTING-PREMIER'S STATEMENT. In reference lo the statement by Mr. Ma;.-ey c-onrerning the sale of what is known as Ihe Mnkau Block. Sir James Carroll states that the official position is briefly as follows:— "The Mokau-Mohakatino Blocks, , IF. IG, 111, and 1.1, eomprive an area of 56,000 acres. In the month of July, 18K. Mr. Joshua Jones arranged ■'« I*' l ** for " term of filly-six years at a very small rental; also certain royalties being payable on product-. In or about the year ISSN n Siirci.il Art was passed by tho then Government: (Atkinson) which practically confirmed Jones's lease, though it was incomplete. After many years litigation (in England principally) in various forms by Jones and his assignees, the estate finally passed to a Jlr. Hermann Lewis, bv mortgagee's sale, for the sum of «CH,OOO. At this time certain subleases given thereunder during the preceding period were granted and duly registered under the Land Transfer Act. so that the sub-lessees got an indefeasible title, but as- tho leasehold conditions were not favourable, insofar as protecting any improvements placed thereon during the currency of the leases made, the lessees could not afford to spend large sums for improvements.

"The land being, therefore, underlease at. a very low rental, and having almost thirty y-Piir* to run, made the position one-, outside of the lessee, in which two interests were paramount, namely, interests of the Native owners and also of the public. "Taking the interests of the Native owners, they had but very small sums to receive for a period, of almost thirty years, and no prospect of any extensive improvements being effected to give them enhanced value; while the increasing liability, such as land tax. left them what might be considered for that period something of infinitesimal value. "As to the public interest, north, south, and cast of the block, settlement was going on apace, and this block, in its unsatisfactory position, was hampering settlement generally, and in the public interest it was -necessary something should be done to promote same. As to the value of the lands, in 1005, the Val-uer-General said the vsihijifion of the Native owners' interests was .£11,337. The number of owners was approximately 2CO. The special valuation of the owners' interests, for the recent proposals, gave the sum of £UM, and the arrangements for sale between the owners and the purchaser was the sum of i' 25,000. A considerable number of the owners do not reside in the district, many of them living at Otaki, New Plymouth, and Te Kuiti, and having no direct interest in retaining their rights in this block; while, on the other hand, they required funds to assist them in, their respective holdings in which they weTe now settled, so in their interest the proposal of ready cash was very satisfactory. "Coining more directly to the question of public interest, it should not rajnirc much argument to: decide that point. The land had been locked up for twenty-five-years, no satisfactory settlement was pending, no probability of any advance, being made in the remaining tliirtv years; therefore, as the holder of the leasehold interest had arranged what, to the Government, was considered a satisfactory price to be paid to the Native owners, and, further, had given the Government a guarantee that on an Order-in-C'ouncil issuing the land in question would he subdivided into sections in accordance with the limitation of areas as provided by Part XII of the Native Land Act, lfiOi), and that no delay would take place in proceeding therewith. The Government has further guarded the public interest by allowing tho president of the board of the district to accept the title to the land in n deed of trust on the terms proposed, and which provided that if the parties interested in the purchase of the land did not, within three years from the date of the pale, subdivide ana open for competition the filock with the- limitation area as previously mentioned, then the board had absolute right to proceed with the subdivision and sale of tho land on its own initio tivo.

"As tho transaction was a private one the local authority would see that the requirements of tho Public Works Act wore fully complied with, and, therefore, that question could lie left, to that body, as until roads arc duly proclaimed, no registered title can issue. At the present time two or throe survey parties are, and have been since, the negotiations were completed, pushing ahead with tho subdivisional work and roading, so that before next year's bushfalling season the larger portion of this block should be submittal to public competition. - "By the. action of the Government the settlement of this large block of 56,0(10 acres is assured, and that. . within the limitation provided by the Native Land Act, which limitation is considerably under the area .allowed bv Tart XIII of tho Land Act,. 1008. This block of land is to be settled without the Government being called 'upon in any way to assist in (ho schemo in question by way of finance."