MORIKAU FARM

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19846, 21 May 1927, Page 6

MORIKAU FARM

NATIVES DISSATISFIED REQUESTS TO MINISTER Sir Maui Pomare, Minister for Native Affairs, paid an unofficial visit to the Morikau farm at tho beginning of this week. h The Minister met the natives at Jerusalem and Ranana who expressed grievancies in regard to tho administration of tho farm by the Aotea Land Board. For tho last 17 years they said it had been loaded with a burden of £32,000 and had paid no dividends since it had been farmed by the Board for the owners. It was contended that additional expenses had been incurred by the Board which were not justified, and that for seven years statements of the farm had not been submitted to the management committees by the administrators. The owners considered that the Aotea Land Board was not competent to run the farm any longer and they asked Sir Maui Pomare that the farm should be vested back to the owners. Other matters were also dealt with, the natives asking for assistance from tho Government for access to their dairy farms, and for finance in respect of the Ohotu blocks. It was also asked, that the Wanganui River natives be compensated by the Government for eel weirs destroyed in order to allow free passage of steamers, and for stones and boulders removed from the river-bed, also for areas of land taken for scenic reserves. All these matters the Minister pro mised would be looked into.