GRANTS FOR TARANAKI

Taranaki Daily News, 28 October 1935, Page 4

GRANTS FOR TARANAKI

£5OO FOR MOUNT EGMONT NATIONAL PARK BOARD REQUEST. CARVED WHAREPUNI AT WAITARA. WINDFALL FOR HARBOUR BOARD. Government grants of £5OO for the Egmont National Park Board and of £lOO (a Native Department vote) for a native carved house at Waitara are reported in a Press Association message from Wellington. Another item of Taranaki interest refers to the payment of an additional £l5O to the New Plymouth Harbour Board as one-fourth of the proceeds of lands sales. The national park board recently asked for a Government grant towards the cost of ranging, goat destruction, afforestation and general maintenance. It was considered probable at Plymouth last night that the grant was the result of this application. The Native Department vote is for the carved house or wharepuni being erected on the marae of the Manukorihi pa at Waitara. Similar community houses have been built lately in other parts of New Zealand, the intention being that they should be used as meeting places tor koreros on matters relating to the welfare of particular tribes and the Maori race in general. It is understood the carving for the Waitara building is to be done by local natives. When asked for an explanation of the harbour board vote, the chairman, Mr. C. E. Bellringer, said that under an ordinance of 1876 the board was endowed with a fourth part of the land revenue of Taranaki for the construction of a harbour. The board had not made application for a grant and it seemed probable that the sum mentioned represented a quarter of the proceeds of some sale of land made by the Government.