NATIVE LAND COMMISSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13889, 29 April 1907, Page 4 (Supplement)

NATIVE LAND COMMISSION

TWO' INTERIM REPORTS.

, , WELLINGTON, April 21. Sir Robert Stout, Chief Justice, and Mr . Ngota, M.H.1!., "the Native-Land Coiii- ; missioners, have forwarded to his Excoiiloncy tho Governor two interim reports on ,' tlio investigations they have lately" completed concerning Native lands. ,Tlw first of -theso, dated March 19, deals with tho ; Wauiiarama Block (35,000 acres), .near Hast ."tinA, -and -with blocks at Mohaka, Wairoa, Nuliaka, «tc. I'., .The conolusion tboy como to ie that tho inodo of dealing with Nativo lands in tlio 'paat has not hoen beneficial to tho Natives Jior, to Europoans desiring to obtain land ••• for settlement, nor to tho State. Tlio second report, is. dated' March: 22, . ■ arif] deals with tho following blocks in tho ,Tairawhiti Maori land district, in Wairoa County:-Mohaka 1 nnd 2, acreage 24,255 ; W'haucrarakau, 3310; IVt-aekuri No. 1, 12,552;. Tutuotokaha. 13 and 2 and 4, 6036; Ivuhaka, eix blocks, 15,500;— total acres, 61,703."' Thorofaro features'in common with all i theso blocks which will lie discusacd in a. general toport- later on, and aro iiow only toUobcd ot> briefly.. Broadly speaking, tho majority'of tho Native owners have only email interests in their lauds. They occupy ■ lands in sonio manner and protracted and costly litigation gives ovidence of a strong desii'o 'to havo individual' interests, alio- - cated 6o aa to mako occupation offeetive. ;'fho.coramiseionei's dwell on the difficulties : in' tho. • way' of allocating theso interests. .. which is an impossibility. In Mohaka and / Wliarcrariikau ■ thorn arc somo 200 individual owners wlioso holdings are so cut. up and scattered after 35 yoars' litigation that to survey and road them -would absorb fivo or six years' rent. Ultimately it would result in tho purchase of tho frecihold two or threo times over. In the Nuhuka subdivision there-is a mania -witli ■tho , owners of one block of 1200 acres'Of worthlew. sandhills to cut it up into 20 'Bootions.' Tho commissioncra -foiuid an .honest desiro among tho Maoris to utiliso their lands properly, and bcliovo that with litllo caro and assistance it oan bo done. The v Maoris' wishes,' summa-rised, arc:— (1) To lease to some' of themselves, tho majority of losseca being heads of families, . or oonnccted by m&rriaßo with tlio ownors. (2) In somo cases ivhero tho intorests of a Bmall family aio allocated this family dosircs to retain occupation. (3) In a fow cases the owners preferred to leaso to tlio hjphest bidder. U) Small areas to be rewrved as papaJtaingaa .'or residedec and cultivation, or to cucloso tho existing kaingas. Tlio spccitio proposals made by tho ownore aro dealt. ivitJi in schedules, but. tho ' Commissionons'-approval of them niav bo - modified if tho • report of tho surveyors shows it to bo necessary. Legislation will ; fe) required to carry them into effect. It is rocommcndcd .that staff surveyors should 'bo detailed for work, to include tho laying off of roads and tho valuation of various subdivisions. • Tho (.'ominissioncrs rcsorvo for tho general report their observations on tho apportionment -of survov charges, county rates, and ,land tax, liability for checking the spread of weeds and rabbits, and other matters. ■ '