NATIVE LANDS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2523, 31 July 1915, Page 13

NATIVE LANDS

'AND SPECULATIVE PURCHASES. ...The Minister of Native Affairs (Hon. waa asked in tlio House by feir Joseph Ward 011 Wednesday afternoon whether ho'could givo any . information as to tho area of land that bad been purchased from Natives .in tho Aortli Island during the past year, and which was now being hold for speculative purposes. He said that when ho was iu the Auckland. district recently one place had been pointed out to him whoro there was a largo area of Native laud—over 15,000 acres at least—which ho was told had been purchased from the Natives, and was being- held for speculative purposes. Souie of tlio people who have spoken to him 011 tho subject complained that they had not •1 ghost of a chance of obtaining any portion of this land for settlement, except at ail enhanced'price, the burden of which would be like a millstone round their necks for years. Ho had been assured by a very _ reliable man that there wore soveral instances of tho nature that ho had indicated. It should bo possiblo for the Government to give a return showing-the areas tbo names of tho purchasers, tlio number of people interested, iind'tlio portion that was available for settlement purposes. : , Mr. Herrios said that he did ndt know of any largo blocks that had been purchased contrary to law. during the time that ho had been in office. All the transactions . referred to 'by the Loader of tho Opposition had taken place under tho Act of_ 1009, whioluhad been passed, by the right hon. gentleman's own Government. >'

Sir Joseph lYavd: Do'Mfc'put it on to me. (Laughter.) Mr.'Hemes: "Well,' I havo not altered tho law in favo.ur of the speculators. On tho contrary, I liavo ratheidrawn tlio mesli closer by increasing tho power of tlie State, and limiting that of the individual, in'tho-purchase of Native lands. The limitation of area was invariably insisted upon by the ifaori Land Boards, wliiol) were more competent now that they wero composed of the Native Land Court Judges. Every transaction had. been carried out strictly according to the Act. After the transactions took placo ,tho. matter passed out of tho liands of tho Native Land Department. The Minister of Lands, if he saw amy land lying idlo, could take it under the Lands for Settlement Act. So far the Department hatl been able to make very large purchases of Native lands, the general principle being to buy where railway lines were likely, to be constructed. This had been done in Hawko's Bay, Poverty Bay, aiid, the Bay of Plenty districts. The total area' purchased amounted to 96,000 acres, and a further area of 509,000 acres was under negotiation. So far as lie knew, no land was being lield for speculative purposes.