OPUNAKE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1757, 18 October 1887, Page 2

OPUNAKE.

(FROM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Tbe present sitting of the Native Lands Court, presided over by Judge Wilson and a native assessor, came to a termination on Friday afternoon last. The court will sit here again on the 15th November, when further important business of subdivision, &c, will be gone into.

The court sat for a little over a week, and the principal business which occupied its attention was the subdivision of the Ngatihaupoto block, situate at Bahotu, in which Kabui has the principal say. The whole of the block, comprising 5745 acres, has been sectionalised and individualised. Eahui has secured 75 acres of open land, with frontages to the main road and the inland Kahui road, and also 100 acres of bush. The block has a frontage to the main road of over If miles, and the remainder of the frontage, including Kabul's, for some distance back, has been divided into 10-acre sections, some more and others less. This is likely to render the cost of survey somewhat heavy, and it is to be hoped that the taxpayer will not have to pay for either the judicial work of subdivision or the after survey. Several hundred pounds have already been expended by Mr. Bal lance's orders in opening a road through the block, a partial justification only of such expenditure being that it gives access to a block of 5000 acres of Crown land, between the Ngatihaupoto block and the forest reserve. The Crown land is about 5. miles from the main road, and is stated to be level and of good quality. Four subdivisions were also made in the Parihaka block of Ngatirangitumamas. Whether those who have got the subdivisions — one is a halfcaste living here — will have the courage to occupy them, may be considered open to some doubt.

In the case of the Ngatihaupoto block, the work of subdivision has evidently been carried out to the satisfaction of the grantees, as the bulk of them were agreeable to the subdivision ; but in cases where a few grantees only apply for subdivision — : .n seme cases as heirs, it may be, under a will, obtained in a somewhat questionable way — an injustice is often done to the remainder, as they have an objection to hav6 any dealings in court, though such may seem to Europeans to be absurd. Whether this can be considered as assisting to settle native matters on the coast, is a question for the powers that be to consider. With regard to the Opunake «md Stony River blocks, about which we have heard so much lately on account of Mr. McGuire's crude claim to one-fourth of the area for the New Plymouth Harbor Board, there is evidence to prove that these blocks always occupied a different position to the remainder of the confiscated lands, and that the lands never left the possession of the native owners. Yet we find that the natives of these blocks have been treated in the same way as rebel natives : that is to say, instead of unrestricted titles being given them, inalienable grants have been issued, which really takes the dealing of these lands out of their hands. This is an injustice which has been done to friendly natives, and one which should be remedied by the Government.

It is stated that a meeting of leaseholders will shortly be held to back up our member in any step he deems it desirable to take for the relief of the West Coast reserves tenants. This clearly shows that it is desirable to extinguish tbe native title, if possible.

A meeting of the factory suppliers of last, who desire to associate themselves together to work the factory, was held on Thursday evening last, when it was agreed to make an offer to the company for the factory until the 31st August next. Arrangements were also made for procuring the necessary plant for butter making with a view of starting on tiie Ist November next. It is mentioned that about twenty suppliers have agreed to assist and that a supply of close on 1000 gallons daily will be available at the height of tbe season.

The directors of the company afterwards met and accepted the offer made for the factory of 15s per week to be increased up t« 22a 6d per week if an average of 3£d per gallon is netted by suppliers The offer is is considered to be low, but it is considered that it would be better to accept a low rent than have the" building unoccupied. October 15.