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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3909, 8 May 1877, Page 3

In referring to the subject of the special settlement blocks, we stated yesterday as a matter of belief, not of absolute certainty, that the Victoria block was, like the Bush Mills block, a portion of the Maharara block. On enquiry, we find that this is not the case. The Victoria Special Settlement is situated on the Ahua-o-Turanga block, where the Wooclville Special Settlement is also situated. The Heretaunga Special Settlement is, however, on the Maharara block. The opening up and settling, therefore, of both the Maharara and Ahua-o-Turanga blocks were commenced in Mr Ormond's time, and, unless we are much mistaken, the Bush Mills Settlement was actually initiated by him. There appears to be some misapprehension in the minds of the members of the board and others about the proclamation of these blocks. None of the special settlement blocks have been taken out of blocks previously proclaimed. The Ormondville (Tuatua) block, the Woodville, the Heretaunga block, were each proclaimed separately, and the proclamation in each case embraced the precise acreage of the settlement and no more. There is no real question as to whether any of the settlement blocks have been taken out of proclaimed land or not. The only question is whether the Bush Mills and Heretaunga settlements should have been located on land, the native title to which is not complete ; in other words, whether the opening up and settlement of the Bush, — for it is well known that the Maharara block is not the only bush block which has not an absolutely complete title — should have been proceeded with whenit was proceeded with, or whether it should have been postponed for some years yet to come, till every conceivable legal obstacle, however microscopic, could be removed.