NATIVE LANDS

Hokitika Guardian, 28 May 1930, Page 8

NATIVE LANDS

A POLICY DEVELOPMENT.

WELLINGTON, May 24

For many years there inis oeen a steady effort to deal ua. . .>a,i.^ lands by the process of individualisation of titles. This has not been a completely satisfactory method of dealing with the whole problem, and Sir Apirana Ngata (Native Minister) gave to a correspondent of the ••,imes" an important explanation oi the lines which are now being-fol-lowed to remedy some of the difficulties of the old polity. “I had intended visiting Rarotonga before' the session,” Sir pirana, “but was obliged to abandon the project owing to' the political -ifci.atiou. i had intended, as Minister in • Charge of Cooks Islands, to have accompanied the delegation of New Zealand chiefs now visiting Rarotonga, to an introduction to the Island people,- and to take the opportunity of getting into touch with the traders. Judge Carr, of the Native Land Court, has gone to Rarotonga on it three months’ exchange with Judge Ayson, the Chief Judge and Administrator- of the Island. I wanted MV Carr to look into the position of Native land at Rarotonga in view of the more recent New Zealand experience, where we have been compelled, by the chaos into which the subdivision of lands has placed iis, to reverse the process, and, by re-aggregation of scattered interests on a valuation basis, to consolidate into individual end family holdings.” ‘.‘Th© question which exercised me,” continued Sir Anir» n '' whether owing to the dual influences of succession and partitions under which we approached the sam© position in Rarotonga., whether a Judge experienced in consolidation work in New Zealand should look over the position in Rarotonga, therefore while Judge -Ayson, pf Cook Islands, is getting into active touch with consolidation work in New Zealand, Judge Carr is accompanied on his visit to Rarotonga by Mr H. Tai Mitchell, of Rotorua, who has been in charge of consolidation work jin the Bay of Plenty district, and who is an experienced surveyor. He will assist Judge Carr, and the latter while in Rarotonga will administer Rarotongan affairs during the period of exchange. Accompanying the party is Mr Smith, secretary oi\ the Cook Islands Department.”