MAORI LANDS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 275, 14 August 1920, Page 8

MAORI LANDS

THE AREA LEFT

LITTLE AVAILABLE FOR SETTLEMENT

The area of land still held by Native owners in the North Island, according to the annual report of the Native Department, is 4,787,686 acres. Of this land, an area of acres is estimated to bo profitably occupied, including 2,810,637 acres leased through Maori land boards and 860,01)0 acres occupied by Maori owners. The area of unoccupied Maori lauds on March 31 last waa 1,277,278 acres, made up as follow.— Papatnpu lands 15,310 Vested ill Maori Land Boards and undisposed of 210,648 Vested in East Coast Commissioner 100,117 CTrowera district (unpurchased) 316,400 Other lands , 634,773 1,277,278 "If to this area of unoccupied land is added tho 380,000 acre 3 estimated to be occupied by Maori'owners, you have a total area of 1,657,278 acres available for the use of the Maoris," states, the report. "But of this it is estimated that ahont 550,000 acres are within the pumice area, and to this probably another 200,00 acres, which includes mountain tops, springs, sand-dunes, etc., and land unfit for settlement, should be added. This leaves an area of 507.278 acres that may be considered suitable for settlement. This cannot be regarded as an excessive area for the use _of the 47,000 Maoris, comprising the Native population, of the North Island, and their descendants. It is, roughly, 19 acres per head. Instead, therefore, of there being a large area of .Native land available for general settlement, it.would seem that thero is barely sufficient for the requirements of the Natives themselves.

"Seeing that the Europeans have acquired about 62,000,000 acres of Native land, it might not be thought unreasonable to allow the Native cwners to retain the small area remaining to them, for it may safely bo said that the lands leased to Europeans will never return to the occupation of the Native owners. The great problem is to get them' scttlwl upon their individual holdings; but this is'an object not likely to be fully realised, ns.all Maoris will not become farmers any more than will all Europeans.

"The Native Department is sometimes twitted .with not publishing figures and making; statements in regard to the. position of Native lands, but there nre ample figures published in the various returns for anyone who 19 intelligent enough to understand them. All the figures and the statements that can lie made'will not alter the position, which is that the Maoris have disposed of nearly all the. lauds that they can dispose of without leaving the hulk of theni landless, and later, probably, to 'become a charge on the Stale."

CIVIL SERVICE PAY

THE NEW BONDS. "No public servant receiving a salary of over £ r M a year will get tho bonus," said the Prime Minister in tho House of Representatives yesterday. "That means that heads of Departments will not get the bonus. Many people have been taken into employment lately at what is called the standard rate of wages, which is supposed to cover tho 02 per cent, increase in the cost of living or a part of it. It would be very unfair to give them the full ,K0 in all cases, because that would put them a long way ahead of men who have been in the service for a long time past. It is necessary to avoid injustice."

xne Prime Minister's statement was made in answer to tho follow ones' t' o ". put Mr. Wilford (Hutt): "Wheihor Government is aware, although it was stated definitely ia the House tlm» a general increase- to meet the increased cost of living would bo made in Civil Servants salaries, that so far.from somo 01 them no-J receiving this amount, some will not receive one penny, owing to a general levelling-up in grading in the iabho Service Commissioner's Office, so that while in some, cases heads of Departments already receiving ki-o salaries mil.get the f.ill JBBO, nn officer ,of low salary will get nothing, though his & C ° st ° f liTk(f much ™ ro **«•

AERIAL MAILS

A MEANS TO AN END. "I understand that the PostmasterGenornl proposes to start an aerial cost office,", said Dr. Newman (W 111nrton East) in the House when the EstKwere under discussion. He wanted to know what provision was being mado lor aerial mail services, which, he said would be of very little use to N*w. Zealand any way. The Postmaster-General replied that experiments had shown that mails could be carried successfully by air. Aerial mail services would be an excellent method of keeping New Zealand's pilots in training. Ho thought everybody would agreo that New Zealand ought to keep in touch with flying. Aerial mail services would lip useful to tho people and would at the same timo keep a certain number of pilots and mechanics in a state of efficiency. Tho scheme 'was well worth while from that point of view.

FENCING WIRE

A suggestion that the Government should help tho farmers in tho purchase of foncing wire wag made by Mr. A. D. MXeod (Wairarapn). Tho price of wire has advanced CM per rent, since MM.

Mr. Massoy said ho was willing to consider the matter. Tho Government could nol possiblv subsidise the pm> Rhase of fencing wire, but if he could assist by obtaining information in regard to cheaper supplies ho would bo glad to mako a move.