MR. CARROLL'S KING COUNTRY VISIT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 179, 5 August 1909, Page 2

MR. CARROLL'S KING COUNTRY VISIT.

Entertained at Te Kuiti. The Hon. .1. <a::o.;. Acting-Prime Minister, arrived at Te Kuiti Ly Tuesday afternoon's train, accompanied by Mr \V. T. Jennings, M.P., Dr Buck, , M.P., Hon. Wi Pore, and other prom- j inent Natives. The party was met at the station by the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr J. Boddie, Major Lusk and other leading residents. Deputations introduced by Mr Jennings, waited on the Minister shortly after arrival regarding local requirements. —Rating Native Lands.- - Mr Boddie, in dealing with the necessity of making native land contiguous to townships subject to the provisions of the Rating Act, said they all realised the necessity of bringing all lands which were in profitable occupation, or which were being enhanced in value, under the provisions of the Rating Act. There were certain lands which he admitted might be exempt, but the great majority were obtaining benefits from European settlement and progress, and should contribute somej thing in return. As a step in advance : he EUggested that certain areas should ■ be defined by the County Council as I lands which should be made liable for both special and general taxation. A I radius of say, three miles from the I township should certainly be brought in and if these were freed from present restrictions many difficulties would be removed. The speaker said ] he could enumerate cases of hardship j to settlers due to the present position. ! —Roads through Native Land. — | Another question of importance, said i Mr Boddie, was the providing of roads | to lands already leased to Europeans. \ Some time ago, owing to the represeni tations of the local County Council and others, it was arranged that upon the recommendation of the Covnty Council and the payment of the necessary survey fees by lessees the roads would be authorised by the Government with compensation. This was admitted to be fair and reasonable by all the Ministers to whom it had been presented. There had, however, been unaccountable delays on the part of the Government, and recently lessees were required to sign a document protecting the Government from every imaginable action. Mr Boddie urged that means should be provided whereby the recommendation of the County Council should be given effect to without delay. Mr Bartley instanced a case in which he taken up a Maori lease and had expended a large amount of money on the property. There was no road to it. and unless access was provided operations would have to stop. Major Lusk referred to the Te Kumi-Mairoa Road, which for six miles passed through Native land. He urged that the Government should metal the road for six miles and chat the lands through which the road passed should be liable for rates. The settlers beyond were raising a large loan for metalling purposes, but the six-mile section was a terrible bar to progress. Maori Land Board. — Mr Hine urged that the Maori Land Administration Board Office should be established at Te Kuiti, and that regular monthly meetings should be held, also that a sitting of the Native Land Court should be held at Te Kuiti. Native Townships.— The desirability of making provision for obtaining the freehold in Native townships was referred to by Mr Boddie, who said that to put the matter in the mildest possible form, it was undesirable that the present tenure should be perpetuated. The same speaker also urged that all loans raised for the purpose of town improvements should be shared equitably by lessees and owners, and drew attention to the fact that no work of any kind bad been done when the township was opened for settlement. —Mr Carroll's Reply.— Mr Carroll, in reply, said, he had just attended a conference of Natives at Otorohanga,where most of the matters referred to had been discussed. They had gone thoroughly into the question of taxation, The Natives had approached the question cautiously and had manifested a commendable desire to take up their responsibilities in the matter of taxation. A point they were also emphatic upon was that their mana or status should be upheld. Messrs John Ormsby and Pepene Eketone had assisted the Minister con nderably, and the Natives showed they did not wish to be led or compelled by circumstances into a position which would be inevitable. They proposed to take the initiative and shoulder the responsibility. Mr Boddie's suggestion as to taxing lands in the proximity of townships would be carefully considered, and if no other scheme presented itself would be adopted, j The lands would be made rateable forthwith; as the district progressed other lands would be brought in, and the vexed question would thus right j itself. Properly applied such a scheme would be acceptable and a spur to the j Natives. The Minister also promised to accelerate the roading of leased lands. Regarding the freehold in townships the Minister said they must be careful not to seek for something which might recoil on their own heads. Those who favoured the freehold tenure would r.ot uphold the application of compulsory measures, though more freedom would necessarily be given in the matter as long as the statutory protection was granted to the Maoris. With reference to the owners of township sections bearing a portion of the responsibility of loans for to.. • improvements, the Minister said tMmatter had been discussed at U;. r, - hanga, and it had been agreed that such a proposal was only fair and r- asonablc. The owners w< ■:■<■ ordy improving their own assets. Mr Carroll said it v. a~ ; ro: ,s--0 to establish the oilice of the .Maori Lar J Board at Te Kutii. Mr Browne, th<late presidio.t.ha: : ■. -a r- ;:.»vo: to toe Bay of P:-:.-.y. a: : Mr Hodaou was to be appoint- '■ : r- .oo>.rt ■■: the . .eai appoint.- ; ''..::.inisM. :.• r a:.d he . :> titled to i.o'.t: .-or or. <<: tin- Mat; vo Land Curt. Mr HMMrd wood ; ;-..,: be shift'---! to T>- Kuiti y.-t, hut the office would he established there and a Clerk appointed. ; In conclusion, the Minister said a !

considerable amount of settlement of Native land was proceeding and he intended getting out returns showing what was being done in each county. The great question was that of rating, and he intended there should be fair and honest adjustment of taxation. Mr Jennings referred to the abolition of the local Roads Department, and : characterised it as ridiculous that the | office should have been established at Stratford. —-Mokau Lease. — After the European deputation had concluded a large deputation of Maoris waited on the Minister in connection with the Mokau block. Pepene Eketone placed the position before the Minister, and asked that the Government should purchase the mortgagees' interest for £15,000, and hold the land as security against the Maoris' interest. Mr Carroll said there were difficulties, and he would submit the matter to Cabinet. In any case it was inadvisable that 52,000 acres should remain so long unutilised. Mr Jennings, M.P., urged that action of some sort should be taken, as the Block was impeding the progress of North Taranaki and South Auckland, and the present position should be terminated as soon as possible.