MAORIS CLAIM ROAD.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1922, Page 8

MAORIS CLAIM ROAD.

POSITION IN PARIHAKA BLOCK. COMPLAINT BY SOLDIER SETTLER. When the returned soldier settlers on the Parihaka Block met the Commissioner of Crown Lands, the member for Taranaki and representatives of the Egmont Council at Pungarehu a few weeks ago, the question of the ownership of the Parihaka Road, leading from the Main South Road to the native village, was touched on. This road is the main metalled thoroughfare through the portion of the block used by the settlers in journeying to and from their holdings and it was stated that the natives laid claim to the ownership of the road and had threatened to block the settlers using it. The county chairman replied that it was a county road, but that the natives had metalled and maintained it, and probably as the result of old usage considered it was theirs. At yesterday’s meeting of the. Egmont County Council, a letter was received from Mr. W. J. Gray, of Okato, on behalf of Tamakaha Tamakau. native chief, pointing out that the road leading to Parihaka was constituted by the natives only, and that no compensation had been paid the native owners for the land taken, and claiming £lOOO for such land and road construction. He asked that the council should make enquiries into the statement and give it favorable consideration. Councillors considered that this was a big order. The chairman said that the road had been made and maintained by the natives. There wore now. however, soldier settlers living in that district who were using the road and he considered that the council should maintain the road. There wore some had holes in the road and ho had authorised the overseer to send men up to repair them, but so far lie had not been able to get the work done. Cr. Gibson stated that some work had been done on the road in the past few days. He had always thought that the road had been made by the council, but ?Jr. Gray had informed him that the work had been done by the natives. The chairman said that the road had been surveyed as a public road over 40 years ago and had been proclaimed as such, and marked on all maps. Therefore the natives had no claim to it. He understood that the Maoris had pestered the Parihaka Road Board to metal the road and getting no satisfaction had metalled it themselves. It was a public road and no one could obstruct it. On the motion of Crs. Gibson and Tosland it was resolved to reply that the council did not consider the natives had any claim to the road.