OPUATIA SPECIAL SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9711, 5 January 1895, Page 6

OPUATIA SPECIAL SETTLEMENT.

Ik spite of the cold water thrown upon the jnovemenfc to settle the Opuatia Block by means of a special settlement, the Association has been floated, and all details arranged. Three parties of surveyors, in 'charge respectively of Messrs. W. A. Graham, P. E. Cbeal, and Drury, aided by a large stuff of assistants, leave at once for the block in readiness to make a start on Monday morning. The survey will be pushed on with the utmost expedition to enable the Land Transfer titles to be issued before the Native Land Court sits at Waiuku in the month of March next. The natives have already elected their committee, and are applying to be formed into a body corporate with a perpetual succession md seal as provided in the Act of last session. The committee will th«n be legally in a position to grant leases, and have arranged with the Association to lease in perpetuity about 27,000 acres of the bush portion of the block in small farm areas of 100 to 300 acres. The leases, after being' executed by the Native Committee, have to be signed by the Commissioner of Crown Lands, and are then registerable under the Land Transfer Act. The natives having carefully studied the Act are anxious to give it a trial, and are sparing no efforts to make this, their first venture, a great success, and intend at an early date opening up further blocks in a similar manner, as tbey consider the easy and effective machinery of the new Act practically solves the native difficulty. The Association are to be congratulated upon having secured such a rich block of ~ land, situate as it is within half a mile of the Onew'nero creamery and post office, and within easy distance of the Tuakau station. Now that there is a definite prospect of a large number of fresh settlers coming to reside in the district, aa effort should be made to obtain a bridge across the Waikato at Tuakau. The road is fully formed from the Railway Station to the river, and from the river right through the Opuatia Block, with ample material along the line to metal it. A sum of £6000 is estimated as necessary to build a cart bridge, and it is proposed that when settlement increases to borrow £3000 under the Loans to Local Bodies Act, repayable at 5 per cent, per annum in 26 years, and ask the Government to give £1 for £1, as the bridge will benefit the Crown lands between Onewhero and Raglan. If the proposal is carried out, ib will bo the means of opening up a large area of beautiful limestone country lying all around, at the small cost of £150 a year for '26 year*. The road over which the recent tiouble with the natives occurred is cleared, stumped, and formed right through the Opuatia block, and the natives wish it to be called the Kaihau Road, as a tribute to the memory of Keri Kaihau. Although the work of subdivisional survey will take some time, it is hoped that everything will be completed to enable the settlers to take possession of their holdings by the end of April, so that they can be in readiness to at once start bu?hfalling, which should find employment for a considerable amount of labour during the coming winter month?. The list of settler* is still open, though rapidly filling up. As soon as it closes, a ballot for position will take place. —{A Correspondent.]