ROTORUA LAKES

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 74, 29 March 1922, Page 7

ROTORUA LAKES

AGREEMENT WITH ARAWAS.

The terms of agreement with the Arawa tribe'with reference to the ownership' of the lakes, at Rotorua were announced yesterday by the AttorneyGeneral (Sir Francis Bell). Cabinet has approved the agreement, which has y«t to be accepted by the Natives.. The terms are as follow :--

(1) If this settlement is confirmed, the Crown admits 'the rights of the Arawas to their ancient^ fishing rights and the burial reserves in all the lalies, and the Arawas ■ admit that the fee simple of the lakes is vested in the Crown.

(2) With respect to the lake known, as Green Lake —Rotokakahi —a special board to be appointed, on the lines of the Eotoiti Board, for the control of the surroundings of that lake, the island to be one of the burial places..

(3) The Arawas to have forty, instead of thirty, licenses H,o fish for trout in the lakes at a nominal fee.

(4) With respect to the incTigenous fish of the lakes in question, it shall be enacted that no trading in such fish shall at any time be permitted. (5) The civil list to be amended to add £4000 to the present £7000 for Native purposes, and £5000 to' be paid, annually to a board to 'be established for the purposes of benefit to the Arawa tribe and its'- several, hapus. The -money is to be used for the benefit of the whole of the tribe, and not for the benefit of individuals of the tribe, but the board may provide for specific purposes for the benefit of the specific hapus. ■

The board may raise money for.capital expenditure, and interest and sinking fund are to be secured out of the annual provision from the Consolidated Fund, the first payment from the Consolidated Fund to dp made not earlier than six months after the termination of the session of 1923, and the Act to be amended in 1922..

With regard to the expenditure _ already incurred by. the Arawas in litigation concerning the lake claims and' other claims : This, has been considerable, and for this purpose a- payment limited to 52000 is proposed, such, sum to be provided b.v the Crown in four payments of £500 per year, the first payment- to be made after the sescion of 1923.