West Coast Settlement Reserves

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XX, Issue 2395, 7 April 1893, Page 2

West Coast Settlement Reserves

«(New Zealand Times.) c Public Trustee took advantage of the Easter holidays to pay an offioial visit to the West Coast settlement reserves for tbe purpose of affording a long promieed explanation to the Native,owner a of the course which be proposes to adopt in the administration of their lands, and especially of placing before the Natives tbe proposals for the- leasing of tho lands which are not required for their own use and occupation. The Natives were met at Qnunake, IJahotu, Stony Rivej, Hawera, Fafcea and Waitotara, and thdre was an unanimous expression by every meeting of confidence in tbe administration and satisfaction that the proposals under which the large areas of idle bush lands are to be leased will result in benefiting both themselves and the districts in which these lands are situated. Such indeed is tbe confidence of tho natives that they appeared to tbe Public Trustee ready to lease lands which might be required for themselves. Id to-day's Gazette and Kahiti tenderß are invited ir English and Maori for leases of upwards of 12,000 aoree of the reserves; and the lands will be offered from time to time afterwards as soon as it has been ascertained that they can be leased .with advantage to the natives and tbe surveys are completed. It waß the expressed wish of the native chiefs at Bahotu that the land 'in.' the block in whioh they were interested should be Bqrveyed and offered in aaotions not larger than 2QO acres; and this wish will be

observed if the, land, ia found to be suoh as would form desirable farms of saoti areas.