TELEGRAMS. NATIVE LAND COMMISSION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 36, 12 February 1908, Page 3

TELEGRAMS. NATIVE LAND COMMISSION.

[Bt Telegbaph. — Special to The Post.] WANGANUI, This Day. Sir Robert Stout held a sitting of the Native Laud Commission here yesterday, taking ovidor.ee regarding the Taumataraahoe and Whakaihuwaka blocks. These Blocks have been boforo the court and the shares havo been ascertained and the interests of tho Crown, which aro large, have been defined, bur. surveys havo not yet been made. Evidence was directed towards tho questions <xi whether the reserves recommended last year for nativo farms were sufficient, and what grounds there woro for increasing them as asked. On the occasion of tho last sittings at Wanganui, fcjir Robert Stout made strong comments 011 the absence of a\iy desire among the natives around here to farm their lands. They have apparently seen the evil of this neglect to some extent and they are putting in claims for a much larger area to be reserved to them for farms. Where the applicants have shown themselves capable ol practical farming increases will probably be recommendixi. There wero 63,(00 acres in the Whakaihuwaka block ; tho (Jrotyn purchased 50,369 leaving 13,611 acres. The commission la6t year recommended that o* this balance 4000 acres bo sei aside for Maori farms and 370 acres for village settlements, and 900 acres for leasing to Europeans. It appears that section II of the , Native Land Settlement Act of last session makes it imperative that tho half get aside for settlement must be cold. Tho Maori owners, of this block cay: "We Jia\ 0 £oia 50,389 acres and we were told we could have tho balance. We wero willing to lcace 9000 acres. To compel ua to ecu the half ot this remnant is unjust and contrary to tho promises made to us when we gold the 50,000 acres. We therefore wish to withdraw our consent lo leasing any and wo will keep all for oureoivcs. In the afternoon application was mado ror the incorporation of Ranaua. and JNgarakaukara. olocks. It, was pointed out that these blocks had been vested in tho nVi a , iViaori kand Board in. April last. Ihe Maoris taid that they wished the b.ocks incorporated 111 order to get them back from the board. They staled tnat the board had douo nothing at all with the blocks, and so far as one of the blocks was concerned they themselves had been ready a year ago to lease it to liuropeans though tne lease had not been then pasted by ti>e commission. V arious Wainiarino biocks wero referred to, and a list of uativos wishing lo ieaso and take up land for settlement puruoses was gone oxer. At 4 p.m. tho commission adjourned till today whqu Mr. Kgata, M.i J ., joins tho Chief Jus.tioe.