NATIVE LAND COMMISSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13860, 25 March 1907, Page 6

NATIVE LAND COMMISSION

WORDS OF COUNSEL TO THE MAORIS. (Per United Press Association.) WANGANUI, March 24. The Native Land Commission continued it? sitting on Saturday, when attention was directed to the following blocks:—Marac Kowhai, 54.000 acres; Kanana, 3100 acres; and Nfiirakaii Whakara-ra, 49,905 acres. "Witnesses who ga-vo evidence said there seemed to be no hope of the Natives becoming farmers. They appeared to lac!: energy and had no desire to work, Mr'Ngata: The Natives hero seem to have- lost their self-respect. .Sir Hobert Stout: The Natives here arc the first I have met who do'not think it is their duty to preserve their race. Tho only way they can do that is by training their your.£- people +o bo industrious. The raca i-hat is not trained in industry is dead. It will bo swept oft' the face of tho earth. Sir Robert added that, the Government should provide agricultural education for (ho Maoris. Most of the , witnesses lamented the delay in dealing with the land, occasioned by iho absence of u Native Land Court in Wanganui. His Honor remarked that this had Iseen a Messing to the Natives. If the court had sat. liie Maoris' land would have been sold and tho money drunk long ago. A deputation from the Chamber of Commerce waited on the members and urged tiiat some means lie devised for collecting Kites on Native land;, and giving instances of local bodies having largo amounts on their books which they were unable to collect. The Chief Justice said the remedy appeared to be in the Natives bfing encouraged to farm their lands, as (hoy eould not be expected to pay rates on Jands yielding no profit. The day's proceedings were chiefly devoted io hearing evidence in regard to UD-river blocks. It was staled by one Native witness that- one block was badly over-run with blackberry, over 1000 acres being perfectly impewtrabk' from this cause. The witness. Warned tho missionaries for its introduction.