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Star (Christchurch), Issue 8984, 18 July 1907, Page 1

M'Nob. "Let me explain how we arrived at the proportions to be set aside as endowments in the two islands. An officer of the Lands Department was instructed to ascertain the total area of Crown land existing in the varioue provinces, and to take from each a definite proportion of the area intended for endowments. Having arrived at the proportion by the rule of three, and influenced by no other consideration, he handed the result to us, and we took the nearest round numbers as the proposed areas." " How much of the endowment land is settled?" asked the reporter. " To the best of my recollection," replied the Minister, " there is more unoccupied land in Auckland than land settled, but it is the other way about in the south. The proportion of 1,215,000 acres in the North Island against * ,785,000 acres of endowment, bears out | what I said at Onehunga in reply to the northern critics, and repeated all alone that it was not proposed to take the land of the north to educate the sons of the south." " Are you able to indicate the nature of the land intended to be set aside for endowment r"' asked the reporter. " I think I can tell you," replied Mr M'Nab, "that the actual parcels of land to be 6et aside will be specified in the fichedi lo to the Bill. We have no objection at all to the parcels being fixed by the House. It will do away with the suggestion that, having secured authority to set aside a certain 'area for endowment, we picked the eyes out of tne Crown lands for that purpose."