THE PIAKO BLOCK.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 368, 15 May 1889, Page 8

THE PIAKO BLOCK.

" At a sitting of the Native L«ml Court, helu utTlinmeson Monday,Grh iiiPt,tl>ePi»ko Bt^clc was dealt with. F««r a number oi years past negotiations have been going on with a vie* 1 of obtaining a satisfactory «Pttl«-ini'nt between the nativ.e owner* and the Government respecting this b'o«-k ol Innri. The Minister of Lauds recent l\ visited the Th mies with re-pe< t t-> tho settlement of thi«* matter, md negotiation^ have been proun-M-g -teadily for some w«t'l<R pa-t with a vii w to obtaining an equivalent in liuul frmii Hip native for the li.i-oo Riim^paid «>n th l>l«-ck s..in- filtom veiiis' •«••«. Tin* limit, r, it is stated, has now b^n finally .-ottl.-d so far as the Ninitip >«>a ti ill- i* fon.-fi npd. The natives h7vp i orv»pnt-«l to hnn'l over to the Crown 4f>ooiia«'M^oi lamlontof theP.nkoß'o k, in I nil s-ettlfin-iit ul the oluiiua of the G<>vcnitnct t i,i>>unst tliom us a tribe. V\w -ntn of X'4/iOO, which the natives dispi.te as hnvinir rcriMvtd, has been agreed to be held :is ;»i.-«invt any natives whom the G«> verun.o'U can prove to have been paid that mummr. in wbieli t-pseitis to be leiunrtfrt. The hoiwidniie* «'f * lie hl » rt (ire io n h(t pnint.-d out by the natives, but the Government nre to defray the cost oE the swr vev and to n-nxive the prt.c'amntion prohibiting any dealing with the '«n^» °j" M»e tiibe. Tb« portion of the block handed nver to tliß Crown has n< w been passed through tlie Land Court by Jndsre Soannell ifr-.d the remainder, some 60,000 acres retain d by the natives, will be pit through in a fc\r days. Mr W. A. Gr-nam, of Hamilton, lias acted in the matter as adviser to the natives, and Mr ,lns. Mnc-Jkny. who paid tlie money originally, hag been present to give assistance and intormation. The negotiations have involved daily meetings between MrT, W. Lewis, Under Secretaiyof the Native Department, and the hapiw of the Ngatinaoa tribe, whose chiefs have been present in number. Mr Wilkinson, the Government agent for the distiict, baa also been present -U all the meetings and given valuable a-sistanee, Mr P. K. Cheat has been entrusted by the natives with the survey of the land.