GISBORNE LAND BOARD WANTED.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 822, 21 February 1903, Page 3

GISBORNE LAND BOARD WANTED.

MR CARROLL INTERVIEWED

Yesterday morning a deputation waited upon Mr Carroll at the Borough Council Chambers to urge the necessity of the Government at once establishing the Poverty Bay district a separate land district with a local Board to administer affairs. There were present : The Mayor, and Messrs Bright, A. F. Matthews, Perry, DeLautour, Jones, W. L). Lysnar, i.

Morgan, and Jackson. The Mayor, in his opening remarks, expressed the pleasure of the deputation at meeting their member. His Worship urged the necessity of a separate Land Board, and quoted statistics showing that the Government were justified in acceding to the request of the deputation. The district was progressing at a great rate,

and every day the want of a local Board was more severely felt. Mr DeLautour endorsed the remurks of tho Mayor. Ho pointed out that Mr Curroll was aware that they had watched with .intense interest the result of the Maori Lands Aministration Act passed in 1000, hut he was afraid that the result so far as' this district was concerned must be taken as one of no progress. Of course, they were told that in Wanganui and elsewhere the scheme was working well, but so fur as this district and coast wore "onccrncd they wore hound to press upon Mr Carroll very strongly that so far there was no result at ail. They had a Bourd and a Council, but ho submitted it was no good appointing efficient members to such a Board and give them no material to work on. The Government were resuming land from Europeans in this part of tho colony, and when thoy heard of there being only ono law for both . ruces, it struck them that when hundreds of thousands of pounds were available for resuming settled and made European land, some effort had not beon made to resume nutivo land, which could bo done at very much loss cost. It might bo a very great question of Stato that tho native race was not prepared to submit to such a law, but with the powerful aid of Mr Carroll in tho Government ranks it should be possiblo to apply tho same law to the Maoris as applied to Europeans. If Mr Carroll wore placed in funds by tho Colonial Treasurer, vust acres of land could bo placed in tho hands of the Nutivo Lands Administra-

ion Board, and given reasonable expend!

,uro on surveys and roads a good start

could be made in this district. Although thoy had infinite pationce, 2£ years was a very long time to wait. Two years were

sufficient to dostroy Mr Bryce’s policy. Tho nativo land policy of 1886 was swept away in 1888—the colony would not wuit longer. If the lands of the district were

properly administered, ho saw a pros-

perous carcor for the East Coast. Messrs Matthews and Bright also addressed tho mooting. Mr Carroli said that some yours ago when tho late Sir John McKenzie was Minister of Lands he tried very hard to induco him to so» things in the samo light as they had been put by tho deputation that day. Ho had pointed out tho groat possibilities and potentialities of tho district, aud Sir John's answer was “ That thore was not sufficient development to justify him in giving effect to tho application, as departmentally it would moan heavy cost,,but he hold out hopes that if tho future fulfilled anticipations the claim no doubt would bo attended with a satisfactory conclusion.” Since that time the district had tnado prodigious strides, and tho figures quotod by the Mayor were quite sufficient, and required no comment. Ho would do his utmost to make proper representations to tho Department. So far as tho Maori Lands Administration Act was concerned ho admitted that since lffOO thoy had not done much on the East Coast, nothing that would bo visible to the ordinary observer. Still ho would point out though it was not as advanced as other districts which he might name, they had been doing, or rather tho nativea themselves had been preparing work in order that tho Council might have something to do, in order that thoy might give somo lands to the Council for administration. Thoy must remembor this, that most of the Maori lands in this district had been taken up. They could look all around and find not many fjlocks remaining. Mr Lysnar: That’s questionable. Mr Carroll: Where are thoy? Gan you show mo any lands of any size in the Cook County not taken up ? You may point to a block bore and there. Taking the

large area of country in this district, with

private and Government purchases, the major portion of tho native land had been taken up and settled. Government, under tho Land for Settlement Act, had been resuming many properties. Why should not native land be resumed under a similar system ? They had been buying native land whenever they could. All the Crown land in this district which had been disposed of was land originally purchased from the natives. When they resumed an European’s estate they were taking the property from one man, but when they resumed from Maoris they were taking land belonging to one hundred or perhaps a thousand, and if the owners claimed the exemptions under the Act there would be no land to take. There were people who forgot we had a large Maori population. The, policy of 1900 was to work through the natives, and to make use of the waste lands, but at the same time they had a duty to settle them upon their own lands. They were experiencing delays in this pan of the district because the larger areas had not passed through the Native Land Court, and the natives were desirous of ascertaining their titles before they would hand their land to the Council. From 300,000 to 400,000 acres in the district lying towards the East Cape had been the subject of very bitter contentions for many years, and the Maoris would never allow them to come into the Court. Now he was glad to say that the feeling was gaining that they would be able to determine their own titles, and as soon as that was done they would hand several large properties to the Council. From 1900 to 1902 was a considerable lapse of time, and for nothing to have been done appeared to need explanation. In 1900 the opposition to the Bill was so strong that they only got it through in a mutilated form. It was absolutely tin

workable. They had to amend it in 1901. From then to the present, though they had not shown much work here, there was a considerable volume of work being done in tbo colony. Under the Land for Settlement Act, from the time they elected to purchase an estate until it was opened for settlement, he had known of no case in which it had been dono under 12 months. If it took that time when they had no difficulties at all, under the exceptional circumstances beforo them it was quite reasonable if they could get anything effected under tho Maori Land Administration Act in a little longer period than under the Land for Settlement Act. It was incumbent on them to do all in their power to push on this district, and all should co-operate in that direction. In regard to tho responsibility that attached to him in respect to administering native lands, he was aware of 1 the truth, as Mr DeLautour had stated, that great men previously had lost their I reputations in a short space of time. He would ask, however, that consideration be made of the extraordinary circumstances which affected the position and tenure of native land ; especially in Waiapu district-, whero there were so many Natives and so many bitter differences

the work was certainly no light one. He was glad to see that the mind of the people was now more strongly in the direction of dovoloping the dairy industry. They would certainly do their best as a Government to buy in this district at reasonable prices, estates which, ho believed, wero admirably suited for dairying purposes. They had plenty of of land in the back country for sheep ; the cream of the district should be devoted to that industry which would bring in the greatest return, would be a great factor in the development of the district, and be responsible for placing more families upon , the land. In concluding, ho said he would place before his colleagues all the arguments that had been used in favor of a , separate Land Board for the East Coast.