NATIVE LAND COMMISSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14211, 12 May 1908, Page 6

NATIVE LAND COMMISSION

CHIEF JUSTICE INTERVIEWED.

(Per Uhiteb Press Association.) tin. •, t AUCKLAND, May 11. Tli 3 Cmef JusUcc (Sir Robert 'Stout), chairman of the Royal Commission on i-ativo Lands, wnieh h as recently been ■sitting „, the Tauranga district, arrived in Auckland on Sunday night. In the course of an interview to-day Sir Robert said that the Natives were found lo b D quito willin* to set asde considorablo areas for sale smaller areas for lease, and to keep" up their present cultivation. "Some of tin Natives," ho went on, "are exceedingly industrious. On one block they have 400 milking cows, and are taking large miantities of null: to the butter factories. They arc also raising oate and maize, and some of them a tittle wheat. From what I could gather, their fanning k not o 0 good as that of soma Europeans, but, from what I learnt, (he district bob farmin- enterprise in some respects. The Maoris seemed an-Wiis lo get good titles to tho land, «> that they might improve their holding, and displayed every v.-illngncss io co-operale with tho efforts of the commission to •'olt'c the Nativo land difficulty." Sir Robert Stout leaves Auckland to-morrow for Wellington on business' connected with the commission. After a brief stay iu the capital (he commission will deal with land m the Roiorua, Waikato, Thames, and surrounding- districts.