MAORI LANDS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1063, 31 October 1911, Page 4

MAORI LANDS.

Elaborate details of the native lauds of the North Island and their present condition have been furnished to Parliament by the Native Minister. The total area 7,137,205 acres, of which 4,056,342 acres are profitably occupied, and 3,080,863 are unoccupied lands, though some portion of this is unfit for settlement. It is to be found mostly in the Urewera country, and other portions of the North Island difficult of access. Upon analysis of the details, the report shows that two-thirds ot the unoccupied land are massed in a part of the North Island generally regarded as unfit for settlement except in large areas as small grazing runs or pastoral runs. A sum of ,£1,010,080 has been spent since 1891 in purchasing native lands for settlement, the area acquired by the Government being over three million acres. During the same period (for the greater part of which the sale of native land to private individuals was prohibited) the area sold to private persons was 499,882 acres. Thus, during the twenty years under review, the Maoris parted with the freehold of 3,692,281 acres, all in the North Island. PAPATUPU I,ANDS DIMINISHING. In 1891 the area of Papatupu lands lying virgin, not only to the axe of the settler, but to the law, held by the aboriginal owners under their customs and usages, not according to any title recognised by the District Rand Registration offices, amounted to 2,777,209 acres. In 1909 this had been reduced to 490,752 acres as follows : Acres Auckland district ... 341,467 Hawke’s Bay district ... 149,285 490,752 At March 31st, 1911, this area had been lurther reduced to 190,792 acres, of which the bulk is in the Auckland Land District. In two years it is estimated there will not be any block ot value remaining in the category of “ customary ” or “ papatupu ” land.