LEASEHOLDERS TO PAY IN MAORI LAND NEGLECTED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23217, 31 March 1950, Page 6

LEASEHOLDERS TO PAY IN MAORI LAND NEGLECTED

(P.A.) AUCKLAND. March 31. Future leases of Maori land will have a compensation clause written into them for protective purposes at the end of the term, said the Minister of Lands, Forests and Maori Affairs, Mr. E. B. Corbett, in Rotorua last night. He said that at present a number of Pakeha farmers were letting their land deteriorate as the end of their leases approached and this was not fair to the Maori owners. “There men are working under contract and their actions are not in accordance with honest practice," Mr. Corbett said. “When the leases expire the land is in a deteriorated condition and the Maori owner has to restore his own property. “The question has been dealt with carelessly in the past and in future we want to give security to the leasee and justice to the owner." The Minister said that the Maori Affairs Department was active in restoring much of the land that had reverted to Maori owners and gone back into rough condition. This was being brought into production again and provision had been made for adequate future care to prevent deterioration. He emphasised that the cost of this work was not a drain on the State, but was charged to the land concerned.