MAORI LAND SETTLEMENT

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 13 September 1930, Page 11

MAORI LAND SETTLEMENT

f;oVF.RNMENT’S INTE.NTIONS

RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS

Very keen interest is being taken in tlie scheme for helping the Maori to settle on the land in large numbers and in the way most likely to secure success. Proposals are. to go before Cabinet at an early date for Maori settlement schemes in the Manawatu, near Fcxton, Bay of Plenty, and Tauranga districts.

There was a new conception of the Maori settlement scheme, Sir Apirana said in the House last week, this bein,o; that the Native should c-arry out his own development work, although the department would assist with grants for seeds, wiring rind stock. The department was doing its best to improve the class of stock, and particular attention was being directed to this aspect of Maori farming. This year there was £57,009 on the- estimates for this work generally, and by ■ other arrangements it was hoped to make another £20 i ,000 available on the supplementary estimates Experiments being made at present in the settlement cj groups of Maoris on undeveloped land were described by Sir Apirana Ngata, in an address to the ‘Wellington Croup of the Institute of Pacific Relations last week. .Schemes for dealing with native lands had often foundered through the difficulties connected with the communal title and the attempts at subdivision or partition, he said. The speaker mentioned four schem.es whic-h had been of great value during the last 25 years. These were firstly, incorporation under a committee, ol management, which had brought a large area into cultivation from Gisborne to Hicks Bay; secondly, consolidation of interests of individuals or families, which had enabled new holdings to conform to modern conditions, imm-oved boundaries, enabled a complete stocktaking of native interests, and made the land available for any purpose desired by the natives; thirdly, hypothecation, or charging event of an inchoate title, enabling the ‘Maori Land Board to lend money on land although the title had not been completed; and fourthly, native land development, bringing into cultivation by the Maoris themselves Maori land that had been lying idle or was insufficiently developed. The Native Minister was authorised to deal with the land in such a way as to overcome the difficulties of title and to use funds provided by the Treasury for the purpose.