NATIVE MINISTER.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1681, 22 February 1913, Page 6

NATIVE MINISTER.

HON . W. H. HERRIES ON TOUR.

REPLY TO CRITICISMS,

"l ie Hon. AV. H. Heme* (Minister for Railways and Native Affairs) returned to /Wellington by Main Trunk express vea. tcrday. - 1 Speaking to a Dominion reporter, tho Minister lurnished a reply to sorno Opposition criticisms of tho Native, land ad. ministration of tho present Government. As to an allegation that an area of land had changed hands at less than tho ,G. eminent valuation, Mr. Herries eaid'l'U tlio Maori land boards wcro bound by ' law to seo that nil adequato price was paid for Nativo land, and it was statutorily 1 provided that tlio "adequato price" 6hould correspond to tho .Government valuation. If a board thought a valuation too low, it could, and often, did, apply to tho Government Valuation Do. pnrtment for a fresh valuation. , Tlio Nativo Department, tho Minister addod, took all possible caro to, exclude speculators in Nativo land transactions. Any purcbasor of Nativo land had to furnish a declaration that ho did not own ' more i than 3000 acres of third-class land or 469 acres of rst-clasa land.' .■ Asked what impression! ho had gained regarding tho attitude of tho Natives dur-; ing his recent visit to Jerusalem, whero ho addressed a largo : Nativo 1 gathering, Mr. Horrios said that so far as ho could seo thero was a better' feeling amongst tho Maoris than thero over had been boforo. Many of tho Natives wcro anxious to havo their lands partitioned, and not a few wero anxious to farm their own • lands. "Most of the requests I have had at different meetings, added tho Minister, ■ "havo been in that direction. They ate all anxious to get the titles put right."" Mr. Horries will leave next week on a visit to Gisborno and the East Coast di«-' trict, mainly in connection with Nativo affairs. Ho will co north as far os.Tokoinaru Bay. On MEroh B a big woetinj[ of Natives is to bo held in tno outskirts 1 of Gisborne, and Mr. Herriea may possibly attend and address,the assemblage. Subsequently he will pay a .visit to tho North' Auckland district, and* l&ok into Nativo business there. ,'On March 18, he will opon the.Kaiwaka section of the Helensvillo North railway. During tho first woek in April, Mr. Herries will be in Wellington to attend a conference of Judges of tho Nativo land Court and Presidents of Maori land boards. Afterwards ho will go south to inspect tho South Island rail' • ways. , • ■