Maori Lands.

Northland Age, Volume VIII, Issue 10, 27 October 1911, Page 4

Maori Lands.

Progress of Settlement. Some interesting figures reletting to the work of the Maori Land Boards are oontained in a return presented to Parliament at the instance of Mr. Herries. The total area that has been vested iu the Boards is 753,339 aores. The total area leased for agricultural and pastoral pur- | poses is 304,655 aoros. The area leased for township purposes is 1536 aores. The area leased for timber cutting or flax cutting purposes is 7201 acres, the urea sold to the Crown is 16,251 acres, and to private individuals 4960 acres. The area iu the bunds of the Board which has not been dealt, with by, sale or lease is 418,734 acres. The

latter includes an area whioh has been handed hack to the natives. The lands ready for leasing on the market total 103,089 acres, and in addition there are 2688 aores still open for selection. Lands at present under survey and requisitioned for purposes of settlement total 94,555 aores. This leaves a

balanoe untouohed of 21,862 aores, inoluding an area of 9030

aores of very poor land, and having no road aooess. Of the balance probably more than onehalf will be offered to the Crown for sale as soon as the native owners can be communicated with. The remainder will be leased at the earliest convenient opportunity. The return is made up to the 30th June last. In a report on the Maori Land Boards for last year the Under-Seoretary for Native Affairs (Mr. T. W. Fisher) says that 435 leases were approved of, a total area of 116,498 aores, and 660 transfers, comprising 78,346 aores, were oonsented to. The aggregate area of lands administered by the Boards totals 975,010 aores. Settlement of the greater area, he adds, is hung up for want of surveys. Althoudh all the surveyors available are engaged, they are unable to cope with the demands made, and until surveys have been made it is impossible to comply with the provisions of the Statutes, snd place the lands on the market. The Boards’ revenues may he considered as self-supporting. They are now doing very good work and facilitating settlement to a large extent. The revenue of the Boards for the year from rents, purchase money, fees, eto., amounted to £193,758. Native Land Purchase. The purchase of Native lands, says the Under-Seoretary, has gone on apace. The Native Land Purohase Board has been bnsy dealing with numerous offers, aggregating 902,074 aoros. The purchase of 75,437 aores has been completed, while some 430,560 aores are iu course of completion. Answering the Pessimists. “A study of the schedule attached,” he says, by way of oonolusion, “will, I think, satisfy the pessimists that the Native Land Department is doing all it possibly can towards the settlement of native lands. The Aot of 1909 is no doubt the contributing factor, and when all its provisions are more universally known, and the parties concerned take the necessary initial step, the ory of ‘ unoooupied native lands ’ will be a thing of the past. At the present rate of progress it may be assumed that after eight years there will be little, if auy, native land that is not revenueproduoing.”