NATIVE PROBLEMS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17953, 3 December 1932, Page 4

NATIVE PROBLEMS

DISCUSSION IN HOUSE ! BACK TO THE LAND EFFORTS (For, Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. In moving the second reading of the Native Land Amendment Bill in the. House to-day, Sir Apir-aiui N gilt a quoted figures in (support of his eonjtention that the department’s activi;ties, compared,favorably with those of ■ any other department of State. Referring to expenditure oh native ‘land ’development during the porioi 1 1929-32, the Minister said the payments -had totalled £304,712, and the repayhpcjits; £20,451, leaving a balance at, j March 31 of £278,261. This represented .an, expenditure.on 41 develop- ; meat schemes in various parts of the i Dominion. ! Continuing, the Minister said .that ;in his opinion the future of the Maori race must be bound up in the land, ;and insofar as it had resulted in putting the Maoris back on the land, the ‘depression had to that extent been of pjonefit to the native race. He was j afraid that the Maoris’ prospects in j industry wore not bright, j ’ Mr M. J. Savage (Lab., Auckland ! West) said it would be impossible for ! any commission to investigate the position of the Native Department in the (time that had been at the disposal of the National Expenditure 'Commission. He ■believed that there was a goon deal of overlapping in the administration Of the Dominion’s land, laws, and that. applied to the native land laws. ’The Minister was.entitled to the fullest amount of praise for the extent to which he had sharpened up the administration of the native laws. MAORIS ’ 'RESPONSIBILITIES

Mr K. S. Williams (Coal., Bay of Plenty) refcired to the appointment of a board to supervise the settlement and development of native lands, and urged the Minister to have an advisory committee appointed from the ranks of those who understood the outlook of the Maoris. There had been a lot of criticism regarding the increase of the native vote, but it had to he remembered that the present Minister was practically the first to devote any great attention to the development of native land, and it was only natural that the expenditure had increased. Mr Williams said that if the Maoris were going to be given opportunities to settle on the land they should be taught to accept the same responsibilities as the pn-keha. Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Coal., Waitomo) referred to the nonpayment of rates on Maori land, and said that in this respect the Maoris had shown more wisdom than the pakchas. Whilst lie agreed that it was right that rates should not he charged on native lands, lie considered the burden thus created should not be borne by local bodies, hut by the national exchequer,

The Rt. Hon. 'G. W. Forbes said that everyone in tho farming industry today was experiencing difficulty with regard to the payment of rates, and an intolerable burden was being thrown on local bodies, for whom he had every sympathy. He felt that something should be done in fairness to local bodies and to native owners, and he intended very shortly to discuss with the ’Cabinet the question of an investigation into the position of native rates so that the Government would understand exactly what, were the .problems and what assistance would be required to afford relief. 'The bill was read a second lime.