Promotion of Settlement.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 700, 3 November 1909, Page 5

Promotion of Settlement.

\ FSfT OF LAND BOA UP

t «n Wednesday morning last members of the Otago Land Board —Messrs E. 11. *. Wilmott (Commissioner), D. Barron, .1. Tough. G. Livingstone, and J. A. Mac- ] Person—paid a visit of inspection to Earuscleugh run with a view to selecting a block suitable for subdivision into fruit-growing areas. Owing to the short notification of their arrival few members of the land leagues turned out to accompany the Board on their inspection. After travelling from the power house through to Blackmail's ami viewing the land en route it was discovered that much difficulty would be experienced in selecting a suitable area. Members of the Board were not very favorably impressed with the laud unless water was available for irrigation. AT ALEXANDRA, lu the afternoon the Board visited Alexandra and met members of the different leagues in the library, which was comfortably filled, notwithstanding that only couple of hours' notification of the visit had been received. The President of the Alexandra branch (Mr C. Weaver) opened the proceedings by stating that the Laud Leagues appreciated the visit of the Board to the district. The leagues were endeavoring to draw together ail those interested in bind, and branches had been formed at different places in the district, but owing to such short notice delegates from the outlying districts were uuable to be present. There were three pastoral runs in the district comprising 236,000 acres, and the people wished some of this land resumed for closer settlement. He understood that the duties of the Board's visit* were to inspect 1000 acres that had been offered on Eiruscleugh for fruit cultivation. He did not think that a suitable block could be found on Earnseleugh, although there were numbers of suitable areas distant from one another, but without water it was useless to resume 1000 acres. Water was the chief difficulty, and without it closer settlement for fruit culture could not proceed. It was a great drawback to settlers to take up 20 acres and depend on fruit alone for a living. They wanted something else whilst the trees were maturing. The general opinion was that a block of 1000 acres was too small, and he advocated resuming, say, 30,000 acres and cut it up in strips, so that settlers would have high and low country combined. It was not intended, to give settlers enough land on the tops to make a living out of pastoral purposes alone, but with low country for fruit cultivation and some high country for pastoral purposes settlers could then make a decent living. He considered it was better not to take an area for fruit culture if water was unavailable, as the land would not be taken up. Some opening must be made for the young people desirous of settling on the land instead of allowing them to leave the district in search of land elsewhere. Mount Benger Station was falling due next year, and a large portion of this run was suitable for subdivision into fruit orchards. It would settle a number of people, and at Bald Hill Flat there were quite a number of young settlers desirous of securing some of the land to settle upon. Mr E. Marslin championed the cause in favor of resuming Moutere for settlement purposes. The lease of au area of this run expired next year, and it should be offered .to the people. Portions of it were suitable for fruit cultivation, but then again the water tliffieulty presented itself here. He considered the area should be cut up into two blocks in order to give intending settlers every chance of success. In connection with Matakanui he advocated cutting the low and high land together. To make a good settler a man must have enougli laud to make a living from his labors. Mr A. Ashworth emphasised the necessity of giving the settlers every facility for settling ou the laud. If sufficient notice of the visit had been received he could have filled the hall with men desirous of securing land. These men would willingly have lost a day's work to come and confer with the Board. The dredging industry was dying and the men must look around for suitable land to settle upon. He considered the Government should arrange with the lessees of Galloway to resume 1000 acres for,fruit culture. The laud was admirably adapted for fruit cultivation. He did not believe in cutting fruit areas into large holdings, as a man could work 20 acres when he could uot work a larger area. The Bonanza water commanded the land at Galloway, and mining was blocked at present. Tne run should be resumed, and if the railway is to pay the land must be made to provide revenue for the railway. He strongly advocated securing 1000 acres on the fiat for fruit orchards. Mr Bodkin referred to the application by a local syndicate for 1000 acres ol land between Alexandra and Clyde. H« explained in detail the proposals of tin syndicate (published in a previous issue) and asked the Board to give the uiattei careful consideration. Mr Iverseu said the only place oi Earuscleugh that was suitable for frui holdings was alongside the settlement The other portion of the ruu was no goo. without water. Mr Wilmott (Commissioner) replied t< the speakers. It was uot expected fe'ia he should say anything definite befon the matters received the careful eousid eration of the members of the Board There appeaaed to be some uiisapprehen sion over the visit, as it was understooi that the Land League would place som definite decision before the Board as t what they wauted done with the laud He thought when notice had Wen givei of the visit the league would have hat some scheme to lay before them. How ever, they had visited Earuscleugh an then decided to come here. Pastoral ruu were classified into two divisions—(l pastoral ruu> pure ami simple; (2 pastoral and agricultural. The firs cannot In.* resumed, and the second eouhl Galloway was iu the first division, an Moutere and Earnseleugh in the set-out! That meant that Galloway eould not b resumed until the expiry of the least The Board intended to drive up an. inspect the ground applied for by th syndicate, ft was doubtful if the Ae

allowed the Board to grant the applica- ' tion. and without consulting his , colleagues he could not say what would be done. He would point out that the Board was only too pleased to settle the ] people on the land, and instanced the • number of runs that would be thrown i open for settlement next year. Replying to a question, Mr Wilmott said he could not say why Galloway was ; • placed in a different class to the other '. • ruus. Mr L'ahill said the people of the dis- i trict should have had a chance of saying j , whether they wauted Galloway resumed for settlement purposes before an ex- . tension of lease was granted to the lessees. The rights and privileges of North Otago considered at the expense , of this district by the subdivision of Otekaike and the granting of another , lease over Galloway, both of which runs were held by the same lessees. The j flats at Galloway, if cut up into fruit areas, would go a long way to appease the hunger for laud, and the Board j should approach the* Government to see if au arrangement could be arrived at with the lessees whereby 1000 acres could be resumed for settlement purposes, i Mr Livingstone pointed out that it was not the Board but the Government that granted the extension of lease over | Galloway. Mr Barron replied to a question re exchange of laud at Matakanui. The i matter came before the Land Purchase Board, who made a recommendation that Mr Laidlaw be given 10,00 I of pastoral land for 1100 acres of freehold. It came before the Laud Board in au in- ! direct way, aud the Board referred it back to the Government that it was not iu the interests of closer settlement that such a large area should be given. The Board inspected the ruu, and as members were anxious that the miuers should be considered a recommendation was made that an area at the south en I of the run • be granted. The Board thought it was making the best deal under the circumstances, as some difficulty was experienced iu dealing with the matter owing to Mr Laidlaw having received a semi-promise that it would be given. The people up there were satisfied that the proposals were the best that could be : made. That left a suitable agricultural block for subdivision, and as applications were comiug iu from time to time the Board decided to visit Matakmui ami : j ascertain the persons who would make the best settlers. The blocks would be cut up into limited areas, and a ballot . allowed amongst the loc-a 1 people. The same procedure had been adopted at Patearoa aud other places. After that some two or three thousand acres would be available for settlement. Re Galloway, he thought negotiations might be entered into to endeavor to acquire 1000 acres. Ou Earnseleugh the country did . , i uot adapt itself for closer settlement iu . | its true form. T ie only place that . : appeared suitable for fruit orchards was ! , | the area near the power house. He was \ , I disappoiuted with the laud at Blackmiu's. j \ i He cousidered that unless water was . i available it was premature to talk of i | closer settlement on this ruu. . | In reply to a question, Mr Barron said '. j that the area given to Mr Laidlaw was [ I up to the snow-line fence and comprised [ i all low-lying laud. M Mr Ashworth said notwithstanding , | Mr Barron's remarks re Earnseleugh he | was certain that if the whole of Earus- ; j cleugh was cut up iu strips it would all ; hi taken up to-morrow. f Mr Macpherson said the Board would I i render all assistance to the people' iu t securing 1,000 acres ou Galloway. He t suggested that the league put iu au apl j plication to the Board asking that au area t i be resumed, aud urging on the Govern* r ! ment to arrange with the lessees to £ : acquire au area for fruit cultivation. He j ! also suggested that the league might. l apply to the Board urging the Government i . t» come to some practical point re getting j water for irrigation purposes. The water I was available, and it should be known if s ' its use was in the region Of practicability. .. j It appeared to him that settlement iu the f I district was being retarded owing to the a ; water difficulty, aud the Board would be I | only to j pleased to assist the people iu '. having this all-important problem solved a ' as soon as possible. e j Mr Weaver asked if the Board could s ! pay another visit to Alexandra ou their r j return jouruey, when the league would . ' liave au opportunity of putting definite e ! proposals before them. e ! Mr Wilmot said the speakers had put | ; the proposals very clearly before them, aud the Board was pleased to hear their t views. He suggested that if the survey ,\ | office provide tie leagues with maps iX they could go over them and forward them luck to the Board with whatever ,[ ! recommendations were made. u ! This was agreed upon, an I Mr Marslin s ' proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the e members of the Board for their visit. v Mr Tough suitably responded, stating g that the Board fully appreciated the I demand for closer settlement of the u ; Crown lands, and would at all times ( f assist in putting the best settler on the e waste lauds of Otago. ). - GALLOWAY" VISITED. ;r A cjmmuuic atiou was received from " the Commissioner after leaving here last lU ■ week, iu which he stated that as 't the Board was satisfied that there was -• a demand for areas for fruit-growing ou d Galloway Flat it would endeavor to devote part of Monday to inspecting the to frontage of the ruu. A special meeting it of tiie Laud League was hellou Saturday re evening and delegates were appointed to I- accompany the Boird to Galloway, d. Leaving Alexandra early on Mon lay x- morning, about ten members of the kI league accompanied the Board on the ie visit of inspection, the manager of the to station (Mr Gunu) also joining tiie party. d. The party drove through tie irrigation »n paddocks fronting the railway line, and id j after a careful inspection thereon a map r- ! was requisitioned. The block desire! id for resumption was pointed out, and it is w.i> decided to coutiue the request to 1) include all the Crown lands lying between 2) Dip Creek au I tiie Mauorbum from the >l railway back to tiie fence running along il. the terraces, the width of which was id estimated at about a mile. It was cou,l. siilered that the total area of the block jj would be between 1000 and 200:) acres, t-. The party proceeded along the boundary ul feii-v to tie homestea I, an I members it- of the league pointed out the adaptability ft of the land-for fruit culture. The future

subdivision of the whole run was discussed, and it was pointed our to the Board that there was plenty of land further back - suitable for homestead holdings when the pastoral country was subdivided. It was also pointed out that very little was being done with the block desired, and there were suitable pi IdoAs at Little Valley for the rams au is. j.-k. The resumption of the block would not seriously interfere with the working of the run. A suggestion was made to the Board to the effect that a deputation should be sent to Wellington to place the matter before the Minister of Lauds, seeing it was outside the jurisdiction of the Board. It was considered that t ie suggestion was a good one, as it may hasten auy arrangement that may be made between the Government and the lessees of the run. The league was desirous of securing the land as early as possible so that it could be subdivided aud balloted for before next winter in order that settlers may cultivate the laud iu the winter in preparation for planting trees in the early spring. The line of the Bonanza race was viewed from the terraces and clearly showed that it commanded the whole of the area asked for. Every available argument in support of the request was brought forward, and it was also mentioned that last year over 22 tons of fruit were despatched from Galloway railway siding. This amount of fruit was taken off 10 acres of laud, and as it was contended that the Galloway frontage would settle some 50 or b'O families the importance of the area for fruit culture could not be regarded by the Board or anyone else as mythical. The mining interests would be conserved by allowing miners egress to the back country and a reserve for tailings. The league having placed their views before the Board, Commissioner Wilmott stated that the matter would be carefully considered by his colleagues. Members of the Board aud league took their departure from the homestead, but not before a hearty vote of thanks had beeu extended to Mr Gunn for his courtesy and hospitality extended to those present.