NATIVE LAND QUESTION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 175, 22 July 1909, Page 5

NATIVE LAND QUESTION.

- ♦ Conference at Waaht. Tbe Hon. A. T. Ngata, accompanied by Mr McAllister, private secretary. and Messrs A. C. Holland, and Robt. Battantyne, of the Native Lauds and Survey Departments, respectively, arrived at Huntly by Tuesday morning'-t express from Auckland and proceeded to the Waahi Pa to confer with a targe gathering of Waifcato Natives, eoncerning the disposition of Native lands Mr Ngata said that his mission was to commence a detailed investigation of i areas available for settlement in the distiict. There was an understanding that an officer from each of the Survey and Native Lands Department should be associated with the Native committee, which was to be selected by the Waikato tribes to determine anddefile in regard to each block of unoccupied land that was to be sold, leased, and reserved for the use and occupation of th* owners. He asked that a committee should be nominated in order that the preliminaries might be arranged. Mr Mafauta agreed with the suggestoin. and a committee of 20 was appointed with power to add to their number. At 5 p.m. the firn ronferenee took place between the Committee and visiting officials. Mr Ngata,in outlining the rroposals. •aid there were lands in the district which were fairly well individualised, being held in small holdings by smalt families. It was not proposed to bring these into the scheme of work at the present meeting. It was recognised that the titles of these lands placed the owners in the position to utilise or alienate at will. A matter for more immediate concern, however, was the lands held under the communal system. Some of these bad been dealt with by the Native Land Commission. It happened in most cases in regard to any particular block that there were three proposals, namely, to sell a portion, lease portion, and reserve the balance. Further inquiry showed that there was a complication due to the fact that individoal owners instead of offering the whole of their interests for sale placed a proportion under each of the proposals. For instance, a man with 100 acres would offer one third for sale. one third for tease, and ask that the remainder be reserved. Under the circumstances it was impossible to partition the land so that the portion for general setlement coold be defined without the«need for a sitting of the Native Land Court. The necessity had now arisen to revise these, and it was further necessary that at the commencement of the inquiry they should understand that the portions defined for general settlement would be offered to the public through a board. The chairman of the committee.Keritoke K. Te Ahu, asked that the pro- ' ending* should be adjourned until the arrival of Mr Henare Kathau, M.P.. teuerrow. Be mentioned three blocks watch could be dealt with immediately upon the resumption of business. Mr Ngata will leave for Wellington on Friday.