IDLE NATIVE LANDS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 287, 28 April 1911, Page 3

IDLE NATIVE LANDS

KEEPING THE COUNTRY BACK. Auckland, April 25. During their tour of the Bay of Plenty district, the members of the Parliamentary party was afforded ample evidence of the great drawback to settlement involved in the locking-up of the Native lands. Side by side with rich areas broken in by Europeans and producing thousands of pounds per annum in maize and dairy produce, they saw vast tracts of Native land lying, in most cases, absolutely unproductive, and in some instances supporting only a few pigs, horses, and cattle. Speaking to a Herald representative on the subject yesterday, Mr. G. L. Peacocke, chairman of the Auckland Railways League, said he was struck during the tour by the serious drag upon the progress of the district caused by the enormous -proportion of fertile land still lying unimproved and producing nothing, either in agricultural wealth or rates, to assist the local bodies. "For many miles," he went 'on to say, "we passed by Native land, the value of which is being yearly 'enhanced by the expenditure of local fuhds, and yet does not contribute one shilling in rates. This js naturally felt us a -serious grievance by the European settlers, and it must be admitted that such a state of things is absolutely unfair as between two races of people equally citizens of the Dominion.

"One glaring case is that in which Native land held by Europeans on lease was contributing £0 a yoar in rates to the County Council, before the end of the term. When the lease expired, the Natives refused to renew it, and occupied the land themselves, and from that day on the land immediately ceased to ,pay rates, although, if still occupied by the European lessees, it would at the present valuation be returning £2OO per annum in rates to the local authority. The Native occupiers are thus reaping a large return from this property, which was improved by the industry of the former lessees, and would not have the slightest difficulty in paying rates out of their profits on the land.

I "The settlement of the Native lands difficulty is closely connected with the profitable running of the railways in the North Island, since the natural increase of population in the district affected is retarded to a vast extent by the failure to profitably utilise these rich, undeveloped sources of wealth. There can be no reasonable doubt that the solution upon practical lines of the Native land problem is of the very highest importance in the public interests of the Dominion."