THE LAND QUESTION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 66, 15 September 1906, Page 9

THE LAND QUESTION.

NATIVE AREAS AVAILABLE FOR SETTLEMENT. DEBATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. MR. ORMOND'S VIEWS OF WHAT IS REQUIRED. Quite unexpectedly tho land question was debated in tho Legislative Council yesterday The Hon. J. D. Ormond moved, in view of proper consideration of the measures promised by the Government for dealing with the native waste lands in the colony, that it> was essential to have the return of native land recently submitted to the Council supplemented with such information as would inform Parliament of v/hat blocks of a thousand acres and over described in the , return were unoccupied 01 waste. Mr Ormond then launched out into a general survey of the land question. Ho survivod a point of order raised by the Hon. Geo. Jones that he was not within his right in discussing the land proposals of tho Government at this stage, and then went on to contend that there* was a much laTger area of land shown to be available in tho return than had been accounted for by the Minister for Lands in his recent speech. The perpetual lease was a mistake, ana it could not be expected that the holders of such leases would giva up their rights for .anything but the freenold. If the £50,000 limit was insisted on, ana the 1000 acres first class and 6000 acres second class land made to form the basis of the future maximum holding, it would be found that capitalists only would be able to settle on the land. He discussed the various aspects oi tho Government's policy at lengtn. and declared that m the main it was the most monstrous proposal ever submitted to a Legislature The Attorney-General interrupted' to ask if the hon. member was not transgressing the standing orders in discussing the general policy of the Government. The Speaker saia a good deal of latitude was required to have the subject discussed intelligently, but he thought Mr. Ormond was exceeding that latitude, Being baulked in this direction, Mr. Ormond said he was debarred from giving ' expression t to all he intended to say, but it Was clear that the Land for Settlements policy was not to be ' pushed, and that the native lands were tho only lands available for tbo poor man to settle on. He would, however, have the subject discussed in another way; ho would not wait for tho Laud Bill, but would bring up a motion on the subject and have it discussed in this way. Auckland was the district most keenly int-ernsted m the nativo land question. Tho return presented to the Council showed that there were 7,497,000 acres of native lands, and of this area he judged fthafc Wo million' acres wer* either occupied by natives or let by them to Europeans. This he considei ed a very liberal estimate. Anothei million wi/uld be required to make provision for natives for all time. Thus meant that there was an area ot 4,497,000 acres left available for settlement. He contrasted this estimate witli the statement of the Native Minister that only half a million acres of native land would be available for settlement, and condemned >the administration iof the Native Department. If anything was to be accomplished in the future there would have to be a much more vigorous administration of the Nativo Department. The great bulk of the native land in the North Island was at the prese'ut time absolutely inaccessible. Some of it had magnificent forests, but- it could not be expected that tho natives would do anything with it. He urged that th« Native Land Courts should cit 1 and determine what lands the natives could properly cultivate, and what was required for their immediate needs and those of their descendants, and the lial-, ance should be thrown open for settlement. The dreim of the Nativo Minister was that these lands should go to build up a vast Maori landlordism in this country. This would bo to the absolute detriment and ruin of the native race The true policy for tho country in recard to native lands was the one bo had sketched. The courts should do theii duty. He did not believe, however, that people would go into thq back coun try to tame these wildernesses unless they had some stimulus, in the shape of the freehold, held out to them. {A voice : No.) Within the next few years be believed it would be possible to have twenty or thirty thousand people settled on these wastes. 'Bo knew something of the settlement of this class of Innd. By judicious settlements and capable administration a great deal could be done. Tho present condition of things should not be allowed to continue. The Hon. T. Kelly seconded the motion. Tho colony could not much longer tolerate milliors of acres of Crown lands lyiuft idlo whilo its young men werehunting for land. People hud to live by work, and it seemed anything but just that the white population should go on toiling while tho native lived in luxurious idleness. The native waste Innd in tho North Island was nearly one-half the total area. The Hon. 'Mr. Carncross: A great part of it is useless — mountain topx, etc. Tho Hon. J. E. Jcnkmson : Yes ; half of it jJ useless. The Hon. T. Kennedy Macdonald : There are millions of acres fit for settlement. Mr. Kelly asked tho Council to consider what it would mean to the country if even three million acres of native land was thrown o»en for settlement —

the- productiveness of the country would be added to to an enormous extent. At this stage, the debate was interrupted by the Hon. T. K. Macdonald, who moved that it should be adjourned until Tuesday next. This suggestion was agreed to on the voices.