THE MATIVE LAND COMMISSION

Gisborne Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1486, 21 June 1905, Page 3

THE MATIVE LAND COMMISSION

(Per. Press Association.) f Auckland, last night Commission which is enquiring into the administration of native iandy entrusted to church bodie3 resumed its sittings this morning. jpishop Noligaa stated that his enquiries had convinced him that - the Trust .Board had discharged its dutios as conscientiously | and as well as it could in the very! difficult circumstances in which they bad toHo carried out. The spirit of the trusts had boon observed and carried out oy fcbe • establishment of St. Stephen’s School and Victoria College, and in no other way had it been possible to do what was desired s iEb doubt a school in a more centrol spot in the country might have been established th in that of St. Stephen’s. The church would establish one to morrow if it had the money, with the idea of giving the Maori fuller instruction in farming carpentering, and the practical.arts of life. The position of a school in the city had its advantages, especially q the mattor of nppronticeabip. That of the work was doing vvoll indeed, and the trustees wore now negotiating with tho Government for an extension of the scheme. It opened the question whether it was best to teach young Maoris trades or farming. It was a matter on which there was bound to bo much diversity of opinion. Mr Quick: There are people who think it useless to fcoa'eh the scientific -farming when he goes back to his people J to live as insanitarily as ever. The Bishop ' Personally I feel a desire to eee people on tho land. Sir Jamo3 Prenderg'ast asked was there any way of arriving at a conclusion it was not possible to evolve a fleheme by which combined, or separate, schools could be established in some place or places whore Maori 3 could see them in operation, and whether it would be done t on tho present rovenues of tho trusts or by the support of tho church people, or otherwise? ‘ . , ' . l* s tio Bishop replied that it was hardly prptrtible at the present time, and considering the schools in existence it was ~ Vr hardly fair to ask them > Mr Quick : A gift of .Maori land to-day would be in much tho same position as .a gift of Maori land 50 years ago. It seems from what wo have heard that ir. takes a considerable tirno for it to become of any 'Worth. Mr Warded!: It will be nearly 100 years before thoy are ro-tiiy profit thi s and yielding morn'than nominal rout.-*. Tho Bishop said that tbo causes of the unprofitableness of the Waikato church 'lands were threefold since the war; first -whvn the people fljd from it, secondly through liwutibion of tho term of lease to +2l yoar3, since tho people would net spend (money on tho land s<> briefly occupied, and dly tho land itso f was not very valuable.

Me Gr.ee : Tho land is very poor in•deed, and r»o one in Waikato would look at K \l for years and years. K Canon Mac Murray stated that the war ‘dislocated everything, and lost tho Maoris tto church. It was not till nine years ago that tho church win able, through two Maori missionaries, to obt-ain again the V*ympathie< of the Waikato Maoris. Now there was every reason to thank God for the encouragement and sympathy the V church was recei\iug from the Maoris. Iu ,1 the olden times O.M.S subsidised tho Schools very largo'y, but it never did so except with tho idea of spreading religion, aim was not secular education. Mr Wardell : Was it over contemplated that this land was to be used for the main* tenance of a sebool ? Not at a’l.

Then they woro not granted for that purpose ? • v No. Do you believe that there was any promise maintain the school ? I belie' v 'natives saw that the work done by was good, and gave tbe missionaries land. Beferring co the church schools in Auck- | land. Canon Mac Murray said the revenue derived from the property in the Waikato y/i 9 inadequate to support the schools, and tbe very best uso that could bo made by money received was made in the St. ' ' Stephen’s and Victoria schools It wouicl be absurd to say that little dribbles of in- " come received from Hopubopu, and should bo devoted to maintenance of schools in those localities.