UREWERA COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 268, 22 April 1915, Page 2

UREWERA COUNTRY.

SUBDIVISION AND SETTLEMENT. A POLICY IN PROSPECT. STATEMENT BY NATIVE MINISTER. Wellington, Yesterday. The history of legislation and litigation regarding the huge block of GfiS.tlOQ acres of native land known as the Urewera Country was set out in an interview given by the Minister of Native Affairs to a reporter yesterday. The Minister also stated in effect that the last obstacles in the way of settlement of these lands have now been removed, and that "the problem of the Urewera Country" will soon be solved.

AN HISTORICAL REVIEW. "The Urewera Native Reserve Act was passed on October 12, 1890, in consequence of a visit paid by the late Right lion. R. J. Seddpn to the Urewera Country," said Mr. Hemes. "Under this Act the Urewera Country, containing 656,000 acres approximately, was constituted a native reserve and consequently was inalienable except to the Crown. The titles were to be ascertained 'by a commission; which was duly set up and commenced its sittings in 1899. In August, 1902, its report was presented, and the orders for the different blocks were published in the 'Kahiti' of June 5, J903. Appeals to the number of 173 wore lodged against these decisions. A second commission of experts was ap- \ pointed byi the then Native Minister, Sir ] James Carroll, in November, 1906, to inqvirj into these appeals. The commission reported in May, 1907', and the orders, which were the results of the two sommigsions, were confirmed by the Native Minister in August, 1907. In consequence of an agitation for fresh appeals, in 1910 section 50 of the NatiroLand Act, 1909, enabling an appeal to be made to the Chief Judge, was made to apply to the Urewera Reserve. The consequence was that further appeals were lodged under this section, and also •under section 3D of th« Native Land Court Act, .1894. These appeals were heard in 1812 and decisions given by the Chief Judge in that year, jj'rom these judgments further appeals were made and wire heard by the Chief Judgfe and Judgo Rawson, who finally delivered judgment in August, 1913. The final, order* were completed early last year, Mid »r« only survey to be registered, i FINALITY AT LAST, "It appears, therefore, that the delay in opening up the land has been (caused by the enormous amount of litigation that has' taken place] It is •hoped that finality has at last been reached, and for my part I have strenuously resisted efforts that have been Bade to pass legislation reopening the subject. The next question is that of sdrvcy. A sum of £4243 ha 3 been spent in survey*, but we are innformed by the Survey .Department that the survey is not complete enough for the purposes of the District 'Land Registrar, so that surveys of the blocks must be undertaken, and I have asked tEe Minister in charge' to .have the necessary surveys, _especially of the blocks in which interests have been purchased by the Crown, put in hand at once. The Crown started purchasing interests in certain blocks in the north-eastern portion of the reserve in 1909. This, it will be seen, was before the titles were definitely ascertained. This, in my opinion, was an unwise step, and has been the cause of considerable trouble, and may ibe of more. These purchases wore conducted by an officer of the Lands Department, not the Native Land Purchase Department, so that the Native Office had no control of the purchases. Instructions have been issued now that the titles are settled, to the Native Land Purchase officer to at,once complete the former purchases and to endeavor to purchase the remaining interests in the different blocks affected. When this is done and the survey completed, these Mocks can be thrown open to the public in the ordinary way by the Lands Department.

A VIGOROUS POLICY. "With regard to the general future of \ the Urewera Reserve, a vigorous policy J will be pursued of Crown purchase where , the native owners arc willing to sell. , This could not be done till the question of the titles had been settled. It . would not, in my opinion, be opportune at present to introduce legislation allowing dealings between the natives .and . private individuals, not at all events till s the purchases by the Crown are settled, i Every encouragement will be given to ■ the native owners to partition their land so that those who wish to farm their lands may get their portions allocated • to them, and it is hoped that in a short time the problem of the Urewera Country will be finally solved and the best of the land settled by the native owners , and settlers holding under the land laws of the Dominion. It is a pleasing feature that the natives themselves are anxious to have their isolation terminated, a consummation that might hare been effected years ago had finality been insisted on in respect to Migration." j