UREWERA COUNTRY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10522, 25 February 1920, Page 8

UREWERA COUNTRY

300,000 ACRES OF LAND. FOR NATIVE AND EUROPEAN SOLDIERS. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie (Minister for Lands) returns to Wellington today from his trip to the Urcwcra Country, undertaken for the purpose of expediting the settlement of returned soldiers, both European and Maori, on lands acquired by the Government in that district. ■

In reply to deputations which waited upon him at Taneatua and Whakatano urging the opening up of Urcwera, the Minister stated that the Government was fully alive to tho position. Tho Government had purchased natives’ interests representing over 300,000 acres, and tho natives still retained interests representing about 200,000 acres. Although he considered the purchase not yet completed, he would not wait, but would proceed in opening up land forthwith. In partitioning tho land between the Crown and the natives, it must bo remembered that neither party could claim all good land, leaving the other with all the poor land. Tho good and poor all the poor land, titioned equitably. The first object of tlie trip was to decide tho route of tho main arterial outlet road. Necessarily tho first step in opening the land, and one of the chief difficulties, was to devise means to make native land and Crown land bear the cost of reading equitably. However, whatever means ho would use to ensure this, ho could givo an assurance that there would be no delay in launching a scheme for opening the block. Surveyors would bo set to work without delay to define the route or the main road. The natives of Rua'toki and Whakatano asked that a bloock of land for the settlement of native soldiers should be provided. .

The Minister said that the suggestion of the Ruatoki natives that scattered interests in the blocks be .taken over by tho Government, and that in return natives shoould be given a consolidated block for returned soldiers was a .good one.