THE POVERTY BAY DISTRICT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12231, 28 March 1903, Page 4

THE POVERTY BAY DISTRICT.

Some persons in Poverty Bay have made an application to the Government that the district should be made a separate land district. We see no reason why there should be any change. Poverty Bay is within the provincial district of Auckland, •and we are quite sure that ho complaint of slackness or neglect can oe made against the Land Board here. Any complaint must lie agaihst the Government, through whose maladministration the whole lands of the district have been kept locked up. The settlers of Poverty Bay, ought to look to Auckland as the place with which they will become permanently connected. Surveys of lines have been made to connect the terminus of the present short line at Karaka with Rotorua by the Urewera country or by Opotiki : and Whakatane. A large part of the country at the back of Cisborne must be connected with Auckland even if a railway were made from Gisborne to Napier, which is very unlikely. The New Zealand Times, in referring to this subject a few days ago, stated that the Hon. Mr. Dtincan, Minister for Lands, was not inclined to favour the idea of constituting a separate land district for Poverty Bay, but was disposed to take the district from Auckland and join it to liawke's Bay so far as its land administration was concerned. We should protest against any such change, for which no reason whatever can be given. In the Department of land administration the Government have done as in other Departments is, they have absorbed almost all the power that formerly was exercised by local bodies. We are quite sure that it will be more for the benefit of Poverty Bay and the advancement of Gisborne to remain attached to Auckland than have a separate Land Board established or to be attached to Hawke's Bay.