The Great Maori Land Question.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 225, 8 September 1905, Page 2

The Great Maori Land Question.

The Kawhia Harbour District. COAL AND TIMBER ABEAB LOCKED UP. MAGNIFICENT AGBICULTUBAL AND FBUIT COUNTBY. HUNDBEDS OF THOUSANDS OF ACBES. [Auckland Herald.] Tbe instances of the locking up of tbe rich lands of Auckland province as native Hnds might be multiplied almost indefinitely without exhausting the subjec', but there is a long and stern fight before the people of the Ncrth Island, if anything like & modicum of justice is to be obtained for the North, and continued agitation through the press, on the public platform, and in the Houses of tbe Legislature, is rendered necessary. That this should be so is a blot on the legislation of tnis colony, but so it is, and it now rests with the people, by firm and united action, to demand reform. In these columns numerous instance of tbe locking up of rich lands have alredy been detailed, and further instances were outlined in tbe course of an interview with Mr G. H Buckeridge, organising agent of tbe Auckland provincial executive of the Farmers* Union, who has taken a keen interest in the subject, having resided for five years in tbe immediate vici- < nity of the extensive blocks of Maori lands. Iu tbe course of the interview Mr Buckeridge particularly referred to the district surrounding Kawhia and Ao ter Harbours, in South Auckland, and also to the valley of the Mokau River. THE MATAKOWHAI BLOCK.

He said that just above Kawhia Harbour was tbe Matakowbai Block, 70,000 acres, all locked up and rendered unprofitable is Maori land. This block was only about 20 miles from the Main Trunk railway, and it consisted of beautiful undulating country, including some superb valleys, notably those of the Waitetuna and Te Mare Streams, and there were also on Matakowbai blocks of 400 and 500 acaes of risk flat land, some par ticuiarly fine areas being found along the Woitetuna Stream. Tbe country was at present covered with bush, principally tawa and rimu, with patches of totara and a little matai, and containing vast quantities ofreally good milling timber, and especially in the Waitetuna Valley there was very heavy timber. Tbe land was partly of limestone and partly volcanic formation, and the aspect was as good as it was possible to get, lying well io the sun ; the aspect was generally northern and towards the sea coast at Aotea Harbour. The land throughout was re illy first class, anfl on an average it would all carry three sheep to tbe acre. The timber rights ware valuable ones, and alone represented rich prefit in working, but after the bush was cleared the country would be good dairying land ; in fact, there was nothing better in that part of tbe province, and he considered it as good as almost any land for that purpose in Taranaki. As Agricultural lanu one could scarcely desire better country. Of course, it would grow rich grass, but it was eminently suited also to the growing of oats and wheat, or to the culture of pHitoes or any root caops. Moreover, it was ideal country for fruitgrowing purposes, and grapes grew in profusion oyer the limestone rock Aotea Harbour was a fair harbour, but the MauKowhai Block was right alongside Kawhia Harbour, which hrd a depth at high spring tide of 29ft and the rise of tbe tide was 13ft. All this beautiful land was locked up as native land ! no thing was done with it, and nothing could be done with it in the present condition of affairs. It was adding nothing to the material wealth of the colony in produce, and all the time the land, unimproved in itself, was yearly rendered more valuable by the industry and enterprise of the pakehas, who were settling the opened lands of the southern portion of tbe province. The natives, for some time, bad been anxious to deal with this great block, but of course, could not do so. Were the block opened up (or closer settlement it would make a tremendous difference to the district. A road could also then be opened direct to Hamilton, making tbe distance between Kawhia and Hamilton 20 miles less, and with a better grade for traffic than at present. There were no roads through those blocks about Kawhii Harbour, and the only road through from Kawhia to Raglan was along the beach, and the track could only be used for about eight hours in 24 owing to the tides. Altogether eight or nine miles of beach had to be traversed in this manner. Tbe block was known as Moerangi and Matakowhai, and its approximate area was 45,170 acres, the approximate area only being available as the land had never been surveyed.

COALFIELDS. All the district about Kawhia Harbour, and extending away back into the country, was known to contain exc Rent coal seams, and many -good coal mines could be opened there. With that land opened up there would be an immediate export trade for Kawbia Harbour in coal and timber. That the coa'fielda were valuable was well known, and there had been some endeavour amongst tbe natives to open up a few seams. These endeavours bad been going on for five years, whereas were the fields open to Europeans, mines would be opened and putting out coal in five months. THE TAHAROA BLOCKS. Nearly the whole of the foreshore around Kawhia Harbour, said Mr

Buckendge, was bt naiiyes, and tbe holdings extended many miles. Tabaroa A and Ta B Blocks, below Kawhia, aggregated 17,428 acres, and the land was similar to that of Matakowbai, and was one of tue finest grazing countries in Southern Auckland. The lands of of Taharoa were noted for the spiesdid fat sheep, fat cattle, and tbe fine quality of horses raised there every year. The land was mMtly opeig with some bush, and it was rich sol on clay formation, all splendid tend, but rougher than Matakowbai. It would not be so suitable for agriculture, except in patches, but it was eminently suited to fruit culture. In tbe country contained in these two blocks were tbe Taharoa, Nikomit? R toroa, and Harihari lakes. THE KIRITEHERE BLOCK.

In the Awakino County, below Ka» wbi&> and at Te Rua Point, was fcbt Kiritehere Block, or "Kinohaku west, containing some 20,000 acres. This land was just below Moeatoa, a&d was all good, and mostly under bush. The timber was chiefly puriri, and if, tbe Und was cleared it would be very well suited to grazing. TE RAU-A MOA BLOCK,

In cbe Ta Rau-a-moa Block, about halfway on tbe road between Kawhia and Te Awamutu, there were several thousand! of acres of good land, partly open country, and partly bush. Tbe formation was volcanic, and the country generally was gently undulating. Part of the land had bora improved by tbe native, but it was now covered with fern and ragwort. All this country c >uld be made to serve very useful purposes were it settled, but at present it was not only locked up, but was a menace to all the surrounding area-', by reason of tbe ragwort, a noxious weed which spread very rapidly. Toere were no road' through these lands, which formal a perpetual stumbling block in tbe wiy of progre s of the district. It of c rnrse, hopeless trying to get the country opened up in the present state of tbe native land laws. For instance, if one desired to cirry out a transaction with a Maori it was obligatory to engage a licensed interpreter, whose charges were like those of a lawyer, even though the Maori bad been educated in an English Ojliege. A Maori landowner might not know a word of the Maori language, and yet he would have to be approached, in a land transaction, through an interpreter. OTHER AREAS.

Tbe Taumatatotara and Hauturu West Blocks contained 11,480 acres, all bush Irnd, very good, but some of it was rough. There were over 30,000 acras around Kawhia Habrour and east of the harbour, independent of the blocks already mentioned, of native lands in small block*, and another 12,000 acres of rich laud held by natives between Kawhia an 1 Aotea Harbours.