DISTRICT PARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 32, 31 May 1907, Page 2

DISTRICT PARS.

Voicing Johnsonville grievances against the Government at the opening of the post office in that town, Mr F. T. Moore remarked that the Government's neglect regarding the Manawatu railway had retarded the progress of the district and put the people in "the position of placing the hands in their pockets to pay a company to run trains to provide an inadequate service." In his reply (reports the Wellington Post) the Attor-ney-General, the Hon. Dr Findlay, expressed a belief that when the people got a State railway in place of the present one it seemed beyond all question that|they would be a great and prosperous and thriving community. Speaking before the Native Land Commission of Tuesday last, Mr John Onnsby stated that the Maori Land Boards were useful bodies and would probably have been able to settle all the difficulty of settling the Native lands had they been given full powers alSil been supported by the Government.

One of the reasons advanced before the Native Land Commission for the non-settlement of the Native lands was that the Government went on buying from the Natives, even when the lands had been handed over to the Maori Land[] Board to administer. Cases in point were stated to the Commission, affecting about 50,000 acres. The fee simple had been handed to the Board, and that bodyhad been unable to deal with the land, owing to want of funds. After the blocks had been tied up for someyears the Native owners sold to the Government. This had the effect of shaking the confidence of the Maoris in the Boards.

The work of poisoning rabbits in the King Country has been found by many of the settlers to be a serious undertaking, but up to the present no better method than the spade and poison bag has been adopted in the district. However, a contrivance has been secured by Mr T. Pine, one of our most progressive settlers of Te Kuiti, which simplifies the matter as far as the farmer is concerned. The machine, which is imported from Australia, is a patent poison distributor and consists of a light mattock with a cylinder attached for holding the poison baits. The mattock is used for turning the sod, and the cylinder is fitted with a plunger, which acts like the rod of a syringe. Near the bottom of the cylinder is a small hole, or vent, and a slight pressure on the plunger forces the bait out of the hole and it drops on to the sod. The pressure can be so regulated the bait can be made to any size. The whole machine is a combination of simplicity and utility, and should be found of great use by all settlers in rabit-infestcd localities. The price is very small compared with the usefulness of the machine, and further particulars will be furnished to all by Mr Pine.

Some illuminating evidence was given before the Native Land Commission with regard to the practice of declaring minors, interested in lands, to be adults. Apparently a judge of the Native Land Court has power to declare a Native) an adult, when there is some doubt about the exact age. Maoris are proverbially hazy with regard to dates, but in most cases can tell to within a year or two, in a period of twenty-one years. However, it was stated that the practice had grown up (in cases of sales of land to the Crown) of declaring children, of not more than ten years, to be adults. This was done for the purpose of securing" the money at once, instead of having it vested in the Public Trustee. The Maori may not be able to manage his own affairs after the manner of the Pakeha, but lie is remarkably apt in taking advantage of favorable points. A meeting of the Maniapoto-Tu-wharetoa District Maori Land Board is gazetted for Otorohanga on June lßth next.