A NATIVE BURIAL GROUND.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 April 1918, Page 6

A NATIVE BURIAL GROUND.

QUESTION OF CLOSURE. Some resentment has been aroused amongst the natives at Moturoa on account of the election of a notice board in the native burial ground there indicating tluil as the place is a railway reserve no more,burials must be made there. During the vi*it of Hon. W. H. Hcrries to Now Plymouth recently a deputation from the natives waited on the Minister, requesting t|liat the ground should be reserved as ( a burying place for the descendants of those natives already buried there. The Minister stated that if the cemetery baa been closed he supposed it would have to stand. If it was not a public cemetery ho thought they were breaking the law in burying on the reserve, unless with the permission of the Minister of Internal Affairs. He undertook, however, t.o have the titles of the land investigated, to see how it came into the possession of the Railway Department, and stated that the future of the cemetery would depend upon the result of that investigation. No official communication has been received by the natives respecting the subject matter of their deputation to the Minister, and they are naturally somewhat disturbed at finding the notice forbidding'burials erected in the ground.

It will be remembered that about the middle of February the New Plymouth Borough Council was somewhat exercised regarding burials taking place at Moturoa. The reserves committee reported recommending that no further burials should be allowed to take place there. After some discussion the. council decided th.'.t as tlie reserve belonged to the Railway Department it was the proper authority to intervene, and it. was resolved to ask the Department to erect a notice prohibiting further burials in the reserve. Apparently the notice put up is that asked for by the Borough Council.