NATIVE LANDS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3415, 20 February 1920, Page 2

NATIVE LANDS.

THE G()VERI\’M_I9IN'I"S PURCHASES.

WHY SETTLI?}MEN’I_"IS DELAYED. During the period from March 31, 1912, to l,)eeelnber 31.‘ ]9.lsJ, -the New Zeuland Government bouglit outright. 515,490 acres of native land, and partially pl1l'('-ll‘1.‘4.~‘(.l ~l~T,(i()—l ae.l'e.~‘. The area purchased outriglit. in the Auckland‘ .l‘rovin<-e was 193,138 acres, and ‘the area. pzirtially purehasml in that province was 363,761 acres, ineludimg 318,910 ‘acres of the _Urewera. lands. The position as far as the “partially pureliased" lands i:<.concel'ned is not alxvays understood by the public. The (lovel'nnlent has bought the interests of certain natives in blocks of land, bu.‘ other natives ret'ain‘llieir int-ereists in whole or in part. Titles to these blocks have not been ‘_ndividualise«], and the Governmenr_. therefore. is not able. to deal with the land at all easily. The law provides that neither the Crown nor private individuals mu-1y purcliase any interest from a native if the purchzise will leave the Maori lanclless. The Government ma_v own half :1 block of native land, but be unable to fix boundaries. If it. does fix lioundzxries and proceeds to provide roads and settle the land, the cost of purchasing -the remaining native inte':est:< will largely increase owing to the added value.

The Minister of Lands (fhe Hon. D. H. Gutln-'10) ‘is at present paying a. visit to the Urewera Country. where he is studying some of the difficulties that have delayed the settlement of much of the land purchased from the Mao]-is in rocetit years. '