MAORI LAND QUESTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13856, 20 March 1907, Page 3

MAORI LAND QUESTION.

WORK OF THE COMMISSION. STATEMENT BY SIR R. STOUI. ; (Pee United Prkss association.) .■ WELLINGTON, March 19. . Speaking to a Post reporter rpgnrdina 1 , (ho Nntivo Land Commission, Sir TVnhort i Stout,_ tho chairman, snid:—"We have i invpstifratrd an aroa. ramprisinpf many ! Mocks, amounting to 121.000 .-.pros. nlniPsf. ; all in T-TaTOlto's Riy. Wp havo prepared . reports on nil Wncts, nnrl linpp to f"r"'nrrl ■ them to his Rsxpllpncy llio Ovnrnor on .1 WHnoHav or ThurwWy of this u-eok. Tn rnpml lo one nf (he hlonlfs, npirotiatinns are boinu condimtpd with flip prp=oni tenant, and we shnll nnt rlcnl with I.W, but in nil nIW cn«>= rPrc»+« ~.."1) l, s pr o. Mitcrl. W" havp mnip In ,i pnnniuci/in I about Hi- rilvUinn of all Wonts b'it OMC. in resilC"! to wlnV.ll v;p ar" tv-iiii'tiir io w n n-lwit Ihp r.'nvpri'nionl pripo«= iii roir.iM to puroliasinir. \Vp liiv-o fnim r | no ! rliflimill.v wliainvpr in with tlw i Afnnric nn <l U"O have Hmd Ihoir r.i nW ;ta ; pyponilinn-jv roacnnuMp Tn ovor lo fliepovrrwl n. AtKtw on. l.hnir rinrt <-ri twmiio formers. Pomp of tlwm linyp cwppp,)pd nprl tlinsp inrtimp,! (lip nfWc ,| cn ~.;'fl, ~' (lpstiro to sllpoe-ri.' , AftPi- rofort-iiiff to +lw riicops« r.f ii,,, \'..,i;i r( , s nt . ,]„;„.;„„ ,|. Nlllwka, Sir s ,i f l fl,o rn mm;«inn found in many r liV,.;p! s a ,]„„,>,, m , j.| w >iark nf the TlTooria to hprolTlP slinpp.f^rmor?. T-lipy liar? Iwffim in n sma.ll wax at Mnnnio,. Mtlim,.l, rt ev | llu l nnt „„;,; l.inrf. Tim total nr».T of 11,. 1\f n j,,,1., Wont in lw =ocoi nn of tlio Msori, i 3 O nlr 2.1 nnn „.,■»,.- nm i ti, nrn nrP , )w ,, f f , n , T , rri lionplo tliflvp. "Wp oar«f"ilv n-o"t p""" tlmjr lnnd." «niH llio fihipf .TiwdVn. "« nTOe land Uto ly> npon«) for ryinipptHi on l 0 nnyonn wli o plipncpc | n liid flip liiplmst prion. Thp vmairA,,. pf f.| l? !„„,, | 5 to l-o pnrtitmnrvV smairst tlm |\tonri ?| « 0 n s fo pimWo tlmm fn Urr.,vn f n , m or gi Iho Ofivornmont (Toinor lo havp. sii»vey« rorpiprl out iiiTrip'l'VN.T f"r piirpw. Tlio land is only fit for pnsturapp. It is !nnd lil- fl that at N»lrka." At XVairrv.i nlc o ti'on f omi( ] t|, 0 Natives nnyio'is to an '») for fthppp-fti.r.min?. "Ami." mM |,|, TTntiov. "w<. ! )nvo divided llio J.Tid f<l n5 io enable vnf'oim fnmillM tn .T'liiPTC (hit pud " . Spo-'iiini; more cpvprslly, the Chief Justien snif] t.list. the pnniniUsJnn I)2[] rP'Prycd for ponnrminal pnrnvps for villjjre vosidwicp ainonßst all Ihp hloclcs nhnut acnvi, probably a lifctlp mors. For farminp; bv individual owner.? and fumilipp they hrwi s>t, as"'e Is!.nflfl acres, for irashiß to Maoris they hid reserved alimtf; Ss.onn acres. Tn the tat..mpn,f.joriP(l wsc tlw niajnrity of (lip owners 'n.i'l no titles, and tho commission rwerved nlwiit 10.000 for Ipasinc hr Maoris lend availnh'p for ReiTil sclHftrnent. Leaving out tho Waim-arama Block, tfmre would h,p about 20,000 aews. S"me of thp. land was not vst apportionert, iw (lie commissinn was waitint; [or surve,T3, pto. Tlic cnmmißsion also dealt with the Poukawa Reserve, wliifh rpquirss ft special net to enable tl"> recoKnnpndation9 of tho coininisnioii lo bo carried out. It is proposed to diaiii live biir lake and snamp at I'e Aute, and convert it into valuable land "I havo no doubt that if Parliament sanctions our eugßctioTis," said hie Honor, "tliero will ho "considerable Maori and European settlement. Of course, the idea that tliero wisrc in Hawke's Bay vfft-t blocks of hind lying unused is not correct. Maori land not usod by Maoris—or most of it—is in possession of Europeans under lease. There are, however, two or three blocks which we intend 'lo deal with, perhaps in April or May. Wo have not been able to deal with thorn yet. Tho Mohaka and Nuhaka Natives havo very little land beyond what is really sufficient for their maintenance, and for those who dosiro lo live an industrial lite wo intend to send in interim reports dealing with several blocks, but of course we shall not send in a general report or general recommendations until wo have been over more country. In is not wise for us to come, to a conclusion aboutmany matter.; until we have seen tho in'other districts than Hawke-'s Bay and Poverty Hay. No conclusion or suggestions as to the necessary amendments of tho law will bo niado until we have carried cur investigations much further.""' .Sir Roberl added that he i-aw very little laziness the Maoris where they had an opportunity to wcrlc. ]n some instances the blocks were allotted to so many people (hat subdivision was iuipossibk,, as some of them would gei no more than ;i jiolo each. TJioy would havo lo remain cninniuiiiil lauds unless exchange; were inailo. "Tin' danger of allowing "Xfhaiigo?," said liis Tlonor. "is that (he Maoris do not Jool; to (he fiiiuro. They (.' i vo up Iheir lands willioiit thinking of rjio dauber "f being left landless for ihfl sal;<i <if :l lii.tli , present, money, ami T havo seen cascj in Huh lie's Buy in which Ihe whole of the money received from tho •ale was pom , in a few months. Several instance* came before us when; men had obtained large sums of nionov for land. Tlimo was one ciifc in which a man obtained about £1000. and in 12 'iionhls lie had not .1 sliillimr -off. TliU systom of ii.lli)ivin,if tin , Maoris io sell ilicir hind and do whin: ilipv plcaw wiili the money is not only demonilisiuK to individual', but ii!i'ii]rali;s habits 'if nnthrift, which arc pi-rikius io (.ho pN.'steiiio of (ho race." Tho Chief Justice said that, ihe commission would so to Wanpanui on Thursdiiv, ainl attor Kaslor Iliey lioncd (o be able io visit a. part of the Kins; Coimiry. i\fi_erwiirils i-lioy would, in Mav or .Tune, visit, the northern part of the Ka~t C'oasl. Mr Xg!,ia. will return from Napier this evening.