DEVELOPING MAORI LANDS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 October 1931, Page 6

DEVELOPING MAORI LANDS

INTERESTING * SURVEY

CIVILISATION’S EXPENSIVE ' ; BLESSINGS.

WELLINGTON, October 6.

An interesting .survey of Native land settlement is contained in the annual report of the Native Lands Department, presented to Parliament to-mglit. The report states that several of the minor consolidation schemes have been completed, and orders made grouping together in compact areas numerous blocks of land. A number of larger schemes are still in, abeyance, partly due to the difficulty of providing for the liquidation of liabilities lor surveys, the cost of which in difficult country often outweighs the value of the land. This has to some extent been overcome by a conference which has taken stock and has made recommendations for alleviating the difficulty and lessening the burdens of the Lands Department.

The Department was granted by Parliament £77,770 for the development of land owned or occupied by Maoris, and, as a consequence, at March 31 last there were twenty-nine schemes in progress. FRESH VIGOUR. "The hope of being able to-, utilise their.own lands has put fresh (life and vigour into the Maori race,” states the report, "Forty years ago, the late Sir .Tames Carroll penned words that were pregnant with truth when he pleaded that Parliament should not omit to devise means for encouraging and assisting the Maoris to become useful settlers. This, he said, could he done if the Maoris were afforded facilities for rendering productive the lands they already possessed, whereas no attempt Imd theretofore been made to educate them in acquiring industrial knowledge or to direct their attention to industrial pursuits. There is the policy that its now being followed out.

"Civilisation lias brought to the Maori many blessings, but wo are too apt to forget that they were extremely expensive benefits to the Maori people, a race with ample lands hut no money to pay for their proper utilisation and development. Those who hold farm land to day cam visualise their present hoiplcsisncss in the face of a world-wide economic crisis as being a chronic position of the Maori people. DEVELOPING THRTFTTNESS. "It is frankly admitted . that there have been oases where. Maoris have sold part of their land and have spent the proceeds foolishly for want of proper guidance and control. Now that a concerted attempt is being made 'to educate them to acquire industrial knowledge and to undertake responsibilities in.Tarming their hind under proper supervision by 'the - supply oftheir needs for fencing material, manures and stock, they themselves supplying the necessary labour, it is hoped that habits oftlmft arid caution will come with it. A ,

“An illustration off enthusiasm upon tins' subject is instanced in a young Maori who wrote to the Department asking that he jnight be supplied with a translation into the Maori language of all there was : to learn about fanning so that he could study it in anticipation of the time when he would receive assistance. 1

“The only drawback is the limit of finance, but possibly in the. early stages this has its advantages in that only those who have proved themselves can be given assistance. As time goes on it is hoped that others will benefit out of the repayment of past advances. : V( MAORI DAIRYMEN. “The principal outlet for the Maori has been dairying; arid here the, Department endeavours to make certain that, only the host stock is secured for him,; realising that itscosts just as much to feed and car© for poor stock which gives much less satisfactory returns. This necessitated the establishment of ‘holding farms’ where stock, is cared for after purchase until required by a particular dairy farmer. The stock is entrusted only to those found capable of properly caring for them. If a Maori shows want of diligence he has to make way for others who are only too anxious to prove that they can make good. The nature of assistance or the character of Industry to he undertaken depends on the report of the Department's experts upon the land affected.

“Three Maoris have been declared Europeans this year,, making a total of seventy-six, or an average of umr persons for each nineteen years since the Statute was passed. The question arises whether the provision for Europeanisation which is averse to native sentiment and which is mostly resorted to for cmvvincing reasons, ,should he retained. It has not been an /unmixod blessing for those who have taken advantage of the provision.”