TAI-RAWHITI LAND BOARD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11123, 24 July 1907, Page 2

TAI-RAWHITI LAND BOARD.

«_. — — . . A COMPLAINT FROM WAIROA. (Per Press Association) . WAIROA, this day. Residents of Wairoa are very indignant at the adjournment. of the Tai Rawhiti Land Board. It is supposed t*> sit here every two months, but has prily sat once — in March last. The work is coiM-ested. Thousands of acres are idle, as the lessees cannot get on it. Now the Board has been adjourned to August; 14th. Natives and EhiTOTOins have bee© put to a lot of trouble. The Board's excuse is the had roads, but the ordinary mail coach is running as usual. Prospective settlers have been waiting for- six months for confirmation of leases. These have been sent to Gisborne. and returned for the ine'eting .of the. adjourned Board. , The Larid ßoard is'supposed to expedite Native land matters, but is only 'them. | The dairy factories aye being 5 forced to ckfee owing to- intending suppliers not being ablg,. to work the land. The I'taihoa" policy is loudly condemned; Wairoa has been absolutely neglected in Native larid matters, and it has the largest area in the colony awaiting settlement at its back door. There halve been absolutely no improvements in administration since the Board was constituted. . ' \- r In connection with the foregoing message, an explanation was sought "from tlie President of the Board (Colonel Porter) and Mr Keefer, a member. 'On Monday last they had their portmanteaux ready to leave by the coach for Wairoa, but the clerk received a message froiri the stable to the effect that the coach;would not be able to proceed beyond Paftfctriapa, and therefore passengers could not be : taken. A telegram, was sent, to -the clerk of the Court at Wairoa to open the naeetirig of the Board as gazetted, and! announce its adjournment until August 14, so as to fit in with the Gisborne meeting} The Wairoa -people are evidently mixing up the Land Court and the Board in the referenceito; land. There-is no coriipiilsion on the Board to eat at Wairoa at all, our representative -was informed. There are to be: bi-monthly sittings at Gisborne on the first Monday in alternate months, and it was in the endeavor to,; oblige-: the people of Wairoa and save expense to witnesses that.: a, sitting was set down for thereV Originally the. date was fixed for July 22 at Wairoa", but then it was found there would be. no coach running to fit in withthat date, and the Court clerk there was asked to open the meeting and) adjourn it until to-day, arid telegrams were also sent to the solicitors in Wairoa, and then to-day's sitting wa© prevented' by the. bad weather; as stated, and the meeting further adjourned, the solicitors also being wired to; It is questionable whether, with the business in view, the Board was wise in fixing a sitting at Wairoa at all, as on the 4th June, -at. Gisborne, there were set down three Wairoa cases, two of which were defective, leaving one^ On the 17th June seven more cases were set down,- all the applications being defective, still leaving only one case in order. On deciding to sit. at Wairoa a special Gazette was issried, arid j seven more cases caine to hand for. the 17th; "five of" these applications -were de. fectiv«>,. thus leaving only three cases in order, and none of these was; of very great importance. Jn the Napplicationß of the 17th three were for removal of ict strictions on lands which had already been vested in the Board by Order-iji-Council, and therefore the applications ;w*re struck out. I the President explained, some lands close to the township- vested iri the Board by the Minister m December. These had been reported on by surveyors, and had gone forward for gazetting, -aiid should shortly be notified. They were mostly Native selections. On the whole, as far" as Wairoa is concerned, the belief of the Board is that instead of beinsf blamed," members should be commended, for the . trouble they have'taken. The; -reason for . adjourning .:; any: WsLiroa caseyto Wairoa, wias.tb save, esp^jjse, to the parties. ''■''■■":;.■_;>. f A'