MAORI WELFARE

Grey River Argus, 1 August 1940, Page 4

MAORI WELFARE

FARMING IN NORTH AUCKLAND. CONSOLIDATION OF TITLES. WHANGAREI, July 30. A large _ number of native I'ana titles provisionally arranged in 1931 have been finalised at sittings or tne Tokcrau Native Land Court, held at variou s settlements in the Whangarei district during the past five weeks. As a result about 50 new nativeowned farms in the district will producing during the coming season or shortly after. At the next sittings of the Court in this district, probably in October, it is hoped to complete further consolidations. Arrangements have been made tor the roading of a large area of native land at Whangaruru. This road, with

other roading lately carried out in the area by the Public Works Department, will open for development a large area of good farming land. REVENUE FROM TIMBER. Definite signs of improvement in Maori welfare are apparent in Northland. Members of the trib e settieu along the east coast from the Bay oi Islands south, the owners of some millions of feet of kauri and other valuable milling timber, met recently ar Mokau. Thi s timber will shortly oc put up for sale by the State Forest. Service, acting as agents for the Land Board. From this sale there will be quite a substantial sum of money as royalties accruing to the tribe, and at the meeting it was decided to use the whole of the proceeds for tribai purposes, instead of distributing it among about 1000 individual owners. It is proposed to assist in the erection of meeting-houses, including a carved house in th e Whangaruru district. Some money was also voted to the patriotic fund for Maori soldiers, and a further grant wa s made in aid

of the construction of a road that will open up a large area of native land in Whangaruru. PURCHASE OF LAND. It is estimated that after these grants have been made, about £2oou will be available for the purchase er additional land for members of tne tribe returning to Whangaruru from town occupations. This milling timber is in the Punaruku No. 2 forest, and the cutting will be under proper control. It is not intended to clear the land for farming purposes, but to allow the forest to regenerate itself, so that at a future dat e another block of valuable timber will be available for the tribe. The native lands in this area contributed toward the cost of the present highway to Russell. The money was raised by Treasury loan, and repayments from native land rents have already amounted to £6OOO. At the meeting of Maoris last week it was decided to petition Parliament, seeking ijdl'ief from repayment of the money advanced for the road.