NATIVE LAND QUESTION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 138, 2 December 1911, Page 5

NATIVE LAND QUESTION

SIR JAMES CARROLL AT GISBORNE. By Telegraph—Press Association. Gisborne, Last Night. Sir James Carroll addressed about 1200 people in His Majesty's Theatre this evening. In regard t« native lands, he referred to legislation introduced by the Government to deal with this question, and 1 said that the Opposition advocated imlividualisation, but this was impossible in ninny cases, and they had provided for an incorporation policy to deal in the land. While the Native Land Courts were individualising the lands daily it could not be said that the Opposition were inaugurating a new policy in.that of individualisation.... The Opposition, with the exception of Mr. Herries, he said, did not understand the Native Land Acts. He predicted that within three oir less than four years there would be no native land settlement question. To-day there were over four million acres of Maori land under profitable occupation, an<l paying taxes, and 3,000,000 acres left unallotted, but there was only about one million acres of waste native lands. O'f the three millions referred to, the greater proportion was unsuited for occupation, and when he went over the: native land question it did not seem such a bugbear as the Opposition represented. Furthermore, the policy was being pushed on, and last year 345,000 acres, were brought into profitable occupation, and he hoped to put in a good record next year.

He defended the Government's borrowing policy, and showed how, although the Ward Administration was responsible for adding over 18 millions to the debt of the Dominion duning- the past firve years, over 15 millions of this was reproductive and assisted! settlement. He defended the Dreadnought gift, and said that when it came up for ratification not one Opposition member objected to it. Their humanitarian legislation, he said, was of the foremost in the world, and the Liberal Government was trying to ameliorate the conditions of all classes, so as to even up the whole and have their wise administration felt all round. The Hon. A. T. Ngata, who was present, thanked the people for the confidence placed in him.