MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1708, 26 March 1906, Page 2

MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS.

THE EAST COAST. RAILWAY. NATIVE LANDS.

Rotorua, Saturday. Prior to leaving Te Puke Mr Hall-Jonea reoeived a deputation from the East Coast Railway League and several other deputations on road matters, and a deputation with regard to native lands. In the case of the railway deputation, Mr H. J. Gill, ohairman of the league, stated that there was really no safe harbor in tbe Bay of-Pientyj as boats came in and there was no saying when they could get out. On his way to Rotorua the Minister would see the feasibility and the desirableness of making the line on the East Coast. Mr Seddon had said a line from Mamaku to Te Puke would bB one of the cheapest in the colony to make. The settlers left tbe matter of the route entirely to the Publio Works Department, but considered they were entitled to' ask the Government to connect their distriots with the railway system of the North Island, The land between Mamaku and Taurang*' was better than that in the Waikato, and all the settlers wanted was mean!of taking the produoe to market. The earthworks would not oost anything like £3OOO per mile.

Mr Herriea, M.H.R., reminded the Minister of his statement that he would be prepared to put a survey in band for the purpose of getting an estimate 0f,., the dost to lay before memberu next session. If that survey and estimate were satPsfaotory the Minister should be able to plaoe that line on the list of authorised lines. He hoped to see a railway completed from Opotiki to Waibi and Meroer, whioh he considered was the East Coast route. Several other members of the deputation spoke of the advautages a railway com* munication would be to the district. The Minister said he would be deceiving them if he did not express the opinion be had formed sinoe ooming through the coun> try. He had been impressed by all he had seen. He had the happy knack of plaoiDg himself in the other fellow’s positioo, and could well imagine the importance of railway communication to farmers who were 25 to 30 miles from a railway, and had to bear the oost of sending their produce over long roads or to Tauranga to get it to Auckland. He oould quite understand and realise their difficulties. He did not say, however, for a moment that they were not doing very well, but tbey.had not.be.e.n getting the best results from their labors. He understood that it was going to be a cheaply constructed line, and he understood it would be a great advantage' to the Te Puke Bottlers and.also to other parts of the distriot, and to the railway The line between there and/Mamaka would be not only an advantage to the distriot, but would , greatly iacrease -the earning capaoity of the railways. He also refrrel to the advantages of eleotrio power on the lines of the Tauranga remarks. He knew Mr Blow : ’s opinion, and he (the Minister) would be surprised if he and the Under-Secretary .for Public Works had any difference of- opinion on the matter when they reached Rotorua.

With regard to the route, the trial-survey would be made, and he would fulfil the statement he made in the Publio Works Statement. .

NATIVE LANDS. Mr D. J. McEwen, who had been deputed to bring under the Minister’s notice the matter of Native lands, said a point he desired to bring under the Minister’s notice was that where titles to Native lands were individualised the individual OWners in many oases did not holdmore than two to ten aorea In one' block, and this was not-enough for a European to take up the lease' of,.con* - sidering the great trouble and • tHtarv pense of getting the signatures; of .the''-' Maoris and assent of the authorities,. In the case of anything less than 180 acres the cost would be more than the value of . the land. Some natives might have similar areas in ether blocks, and it was suggested they should be allowed to exchange so as to get their land in one piece. The Minister said the phase of dealing with these stnall areas had not been brought under bis notice before. When he had looked into tho question before it

had always been in connection with large blocks that had been indjvjdualised, Mr Herriea suggested that if natives could exchange land so as to get the blooks together, and the natives wero relieved from paying atamp duty so as to do away with the expense of getting exchanges, probably that would bo the best solution

Of tbo difficulty. Oiher members of the deputation suggested that the Government should acquire blocks and deal with them under the Lands for Settlement Act. The Minister replied that there was now PQwer to fieal with native lands under that Act. He would make representations to his colleagues on the lines of the deputation, and discuss the matter with them upon his return to Wellington,—N.Z, Herald, > •