LANDS FOR SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11825, 30 November 1901, Page 4

LANDS FOR SETTLEMENT.

It is impossible to refrain from the conclusion that the Government are greatly to blame for the delay that will take.place in the opening of the lands at Kawhia for settlement. We were told on the authority of a Minister that somewhere about 80,000 or 100,000 acres of land would be put up for sale so that settlers could get to work in the present season. But it seems that although all the survey work is completed and i the plans are all ready, the valuations have all to be gone over again. According to the present system of dealing with Government lands, valuations have to be made of every block. The Government do this, but it seems that the conclusion has been come to that these are not to be trusted, and an independent valuation has to be made. This system of valuation and ballot is exceedingly faulty, and is "unfair in many cases, but in any event the valuations might have been fixed, and ought to have been fixed, long ago. Now a season is lost, and the whole colony is greatly injured. There is no doubt that the land will be taken up by an excellent class of settlers, who will make it a producing area within a few months. The opening of this extensive tract will practically connect the "Waikato country with the Kawhia country, and will make the latter port one of some importance. If we were in the South, we should claim that a railway should be made to connect the port of Kawhia with the Main Trunk railway, but we suppose we must not speak of that for some years to come. The opening of this land will be of immense importance for Auckland, but it is the last considerable area that we can expect for some time, as we are now at a deadlock in regard to acquiring native land. In the session before last an Act was passed providing machinery by which the natives could sell or lease land to Europeans under a Board. But the scheme was found to be unworkable. In this last session an amendment Act was passed, but apparently the. position is no better. It seems quite likely that nothing will be done. The natives are anxious to utilise their surplus lands, while there are good settlers willing to take them up. But the Government will not buy the lands, and cannot, or will not, set up a workable plan of enabling the natives to make their lands available. We must now wait patiently, till the valuations are completed of the 80,000 acres to be opened, but in the meanwhile a season will be lost.