THE NATIVE LANDS IN THE NORTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12317, 8 July 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE NATIVE LANDS IN THE NORTH.

[FROM OUR OWN correspondent.] Mr. C. W.P.' SEOir, clerk and interpreter to the Tokerau District .Maori Land Council, has kindly given our Bay of Islands correspondent valuable information as to the progress of the work of the Council in dealing with the Maori lands. Tho President of the Council (Mr. '. E. C. Bloomfield, S.M.) has also kindly volunteered to furnish him with any furthoi information in his power. It should bo understood that tho Tokerau district, which means all the peninsula north of Auckland, and includes tho Great Barrier Island, differs from most of tho districts further south in that nearly all the lands to be dealt with are papatupu— is to say, no steps whatever have heretofore been taken in the matter of titles, so that tho procedure starts from tho very beginning. The blocks of land being dealt with are.very extensive. In the Bay of Islands county alone there is one block of 78,200 ■ acres touching Kawakawa within live miles, and extending west and south. The railway extension works towards Whangarei are now being carried through this block. There are other largo blocks in the same county, including the celebrated Tautoro Block, over which th©, disturbance was threatened. The railway, when extended south and west, will make available enormous quantities of valuable timber, including kauri, kahikatea, totara, rimu, puriri, and munoa, as well as open up a lot of good land. . The other counties also have large blocks, which are being handed over to the Council 30,000 acres in Whangarei, 60,000 acres in Hokianga—-totalling in the district more than million acres. . The many meetings of the Council that have been held in Russell, Whangaroa, Mangonui, Kawakawa, Kaikohe, Hokianga, and Whangarei have resulted in ascertaining and fixing tho ownership of a largo proportion of tho above blocks, and the work is still in aotive progress. Thero is no questioning this fact, that the Maoris have listened to the advice of tho President, and readily done their part in dealing with lands hitherto rigorously held back from the Land Court. .:. ■

. A .visit to the Court and a look at the sot of books and pile of documents for each block, all in order and in the same form, whatever the size of the block may be, enables one at once to understand how quickly the Maoris have taken to the work. " The Court fees (£2 ss) are the same for any size block. The documents begin with the first steps taken to set up the Block Committee and go on through the.several stages. ■•I; give the report of the Panatupu Committee to show the. form adopted:—"ln,the matter of the block land commonly known as or called — situated at or near , in the — survey district, in thei provincial district of ,— K the Papatupu Committee, duly elected under the provisions of the Maori Lands Administration Act, 1900, and its amendments, doth hereby report that. having due regard to Maori customs: and usages,' it has made full investigation into the ownership of the said block, and as a result of such investigation has caused the sketch-plan, setting forth' the boundaries of the said block (adopting, hapu boundaries as far as practicable) and hereto, attached, to bo prepared by an authorised surveyor, and doth hereby certify, and declare that tho Maoris named in the first■ column of the schedule hereto and therein numbered from l|to —, are the owners of the said block, in the* relative shares and interests set out in the second .column of the said schedule.." ;■ ' . In one case the names of 600 owners are attached.;,,; , -'i „ In passing this Act it was .supposed that the meetings of the block committees would bo held - among; the Maoris themselves, in their own kaingas, and that idea has, caught on with them, but they often hold meetings near where ! Council itself is sitting. The proceedings of the block committees are recorded in strict: form, and the, minute books handed over to the Council with the other documents. . - '1 ; Some amount of misapprehension has existed in the public mind as to the extent of the powers of the block committees. After all the forms aro gone through and the titles and proportions definitely fixed, the block of land itself, with all on it and under it, j passes, into the hands of tho Council toad- j minister. The Council assumes powers very .j similar" to the Crown Lands ; Board, and stands between the Maori owners: and 'the ; parties leasing the land, or purchasing timber, etc. On© of the first' Hocks that will bo offered is in the Farthest North, at Parenga- . renga. ' There the glass sand will be offered for sale. In another place j a valuable lot of 1 gum will be offered, and so on with th© timber. Probably the land itself will be offered in suitable areas on "a 42 years' lease. The leas© will' contain provision .for compensation for legitimate; improvements, provided that it is not renewed to the same individual. ■ • As providing : protection ,to the rightful owners against waste or wrongful dealing in connection with the land itself, or the timber or other products on it. and at the. same time providing ready facilities for l>ona-fido lessees or ourchasers, the Council takes up a position hitherto unoccupied. Largo sums ' of money ■ are ; already in the hands of the; Council . awaitine, the definition of ownor- - From a public point of view; all this should indicate the speedy bringing about of betiter state of thintrs than baa obtained hitherto. Anyway, that seems to be the aim of those in "charge. : In addition to all' that has been : said above, the Council is being called on to deal with a large number of applications for papakainga (inalianable homestead) certificates, subdivisions,; and successions. For the Maoris themselves this will worlca mar-' vellous revolution. No doubt that this great; change in prospect is > acting very nowerfully, on tho minds of the younger Maoris especially, in favour of the Court.