Native Lands.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8143, 17 November 1905, Page 5

Native Lands.

In the course of his address at Ashhursfc Mr Lethbricfge, M.H.8., said he remembered Mr Pirani bringing in a Bill in the House some years ago dealing with Maori lands. • It proposed to hand over to the Public Trustee Maori land belonging to natives who agreed to that course and allow it to be leased by the Trustee to anyone who wanted to take it up, that the rents should be divided amongsti;he owners of the land, and that in the meantime the Native Land Court should settle to whom the land belonged. That was practically the measure the Government had passed last session. Mr Lethbridge said his opinion was that so long as the Maoris had the lands round the pahs reserved for them for ever it would be sufficient. After all, if the Maoris wanted to pauperise themselves it would be hard to stop them. Perhaps they-^would make better citizens when they found they had to work instead of living in a state of communism. If they were allowed to sell their land they would find it better to work than to starve. With Mr Carroll in the Ministry it might have been expected that the Government, during all the years it had held office, would have done something to settle this question. But as a matter of fact the Ministry was losing its initiative and grip of things. Ministers were beginning to think the colony was made for them. It was time, therefore, we had a change. (Applause). —