NATIVE LAND SETTLEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 94, 22 April 1893, Page 2

NATIVE LAND SETTLEMENT.

THE OHURA VALLEY BLOCK,

THE SETTLEMENT ASSOCIATION'S

PROPOSALS,

A LIVELY MEETING

The meeting in tho Chamber of Comniorce of those interested in the proposed special small-farms settlement in the Churn Valley block, in the southern portion of the King Country, was continued after we went to press yesterday afternoon. The meeting, which was convened by theComrnitteo of the Auckland Special Settlement Association, had for it 3 object tho consideration of the report of the Committee on the nature of the Ohura block, and the question of carrying on the settlement scheme on some suitable piece of land. Major Lusk presided. Amongßb those present were several Auckland meinbors of Parliament, and a lively discussion took place, chiefly arising from tho condemnation of the block in question by the Committeo of tho Association, who had soon only a section of tho Ohura, and that tho loasc valuable portion, in direct contradiction to fclie roport of the mombors of the Stratford route exploration party who travelled o\'6r the whole of tho block (some 300,000 acres) last year, and who had inspected the country carefully. Tho block lies about 180 miles south of Auckland, in tho north of tho Taranaki province, and within tho Wanganui River basin.

After the report of tho Association's Committee declaring the land unsuitable for settlement purposes had been read, and its adoption proposed,

Mr Peter Oliphant, who was one of the Stratford route exploration party who traversed tho block last year, said that he had it on tho authority of a well known surveyor that the land on the Ohura would all bo taken up in a few days by farmers if it were only thrown open for settlement. The Ohura WAS EXCELLENT LAND, as good as any about tho Patea or other fertile portions of the Taranaki province, and if tho party had only gone into the valley lo or IS miles further, thoy would, ho was sure, haw altered their opinions altogether. Tho district would bo mote readily accosaible from Auckland than from Taranaki, being separated from Taranaki proper by the Waiaraia range of hills. The Committee of the Association might condemn the valley temporarily, but the truth would prevail in the long' run. Ilowover, he did not think 200-acro sections would be a suitabloway of working tho block. lie thought it better to cut it into larger sections of 500 acros, as more suitable to the character of the land. It appeared that Major Lusk and party did not soo tho best portion of tho Ohura at all. It was splendid land.

iVlr Tibbetts said that ho did not think the portion of tho block which he saw was suitable lor small farms, but could only be worked in sheop runs. He thought the country totally unsuitable for small farms. He said that what lie saw of the Ohura valloy was very hilly, and in some parts of it there was not a margin of flat land along tho river.

Mr Oliphant strongly combatted this! statemont, anil said it was very evident tho speaker did nob know what lie was talking about. There waa abundance of flat land in fcho valley. In tho lluatahii and Mangaroa flats tlicro were some 200,000 acres of splondid land, mostly { level. Tho Association party did not appear to havo gone within many miles of the really good portion of the valley. Mr F." Eraser said ho thought ib would suit the yroat majority of tho intending settlers to go on to the Ohura, oven it were some distance away. He believed there wns good land there, as Mr Oliphant hud said, mid if they did not tnko it up thoy would bo making a srroafe mistake. If thoy were nob willing to tuko it up then ho veuturod to say that it; would BE TAKEN UP BY OTHER ASSOCIATIONS within throe months after io was thrown opon for settlement. Mr J. M. Shera : In three day?. Mr Georjje White condemned tho character of tiio country, Baying it was too broken, and was no uso for small fanners. Mr .McDonald (I'ukekoho) did not think) lit worth whilo going on the land in tho | Ohura, however good ib might be, when thoro was abundance of belter laud noaior at hand. They should get land closer to j tho railway line, instead of having to pack or cart fjooda scores of miles. There was i übundanco of good laud between To Kuiti and bho Taranaki province. Mr F. Lawry, A1.11.1v.., who travelled over tho whole block last year, waa tho next speaker. Ho wauled to know how far tho Association party rually went.

The answer was that the Association , party went thirty miles down tho Ohura valley, until near tho bridge over the Ohuru,. beyond Nihouiho. j Mr Lawry aaid ho submitted that the j report of the Committee) was not worth tho j paper it was written on, because those who ckovvib up never really saw the country at all. He referred to the (food opinion which Mr Hursthuuee, the well-known surveyor, ot To Kuiti, and, in fact, nil who hud travelled over tho block, hold of tho laud and the possibilities of settlement in tho Ohura block. The Committee had never re.'illy seen tho good hind at all. Tho Ohura Valley opened out as they went down from the point where tho Association ' Couiniitioo had turned buck, and ib WAS SPLENDID LAND. 00 had never seen botter. Forty por | cent of tho whole block was n't for farming. Tho Association party should havo gone further on on foot with their swaps, r.s tho Stratford Route party had dono, instead of turning back when their work was not half : done, and thus practically : DENOUNCING THE STRATFORD PART if AS LlAUfci. The statements of tho Association Committee were most misleading and would do i Iho cause of land settlement h great deal of harm. He. referred to the lii«h terms in which Mr Cadtnnn, Mr Hursthouso, Mr Palmer, Mr Oliphant, Mr Wilson (engineer), and oihors had wpobon of tho quality of the laud. Mr Lawry thun went on to say that he rofrrc.bt.ed to lioiir that; a member of the I Committee of tha Ohura Valley Settlement I Association had said, coming back in the train from To Kuiti, that " We'll work this njjainst Lawry in Parnell." He understood from that that the Committee, or some members of it, wore endeavouring by contemptible misTeprosentabiona to injure him politically. Ho characterised this as a inosb cowardly and contemptible thing —the most contemptible conduct: that ho had over heard of. The Committee insinuuted that he and the other irerabftra of the Stratford party had lied. The report; would, however, strengthen the hands of mombors at Wellington when the question of construction of The railway through from the Ongaruhe to Stratford would be considered, for it would bo seen that tho whole altair was a political arrangement. He challenged them to como forward and meet him when he addressed his constituents in Parnoll, as ho intended to do before he wont down to Wellington next session. He would take an opportunity then of fully ventilating the question. In further remarks aa to the quality of the land in the Ohura block, he said it was quite equal to the famous Vale jof Cheddar, where ho came from. His | statement, he &aid, was further corroborated by what Mr Hurfthouso, purveyor and engineer of To Kuiti. had told him the other day. Mr Hursthouse informed him that he had lately explored a large portion of the Ohura in a canoe, going many miles along the river, and at e"~7y point on the bank below where th<? .rfilwrj ""a crossed tho

rivor, the country was level, and quite as fertile looking as any place where the Stratford routo party had travelled over. Mr Oliphanb submitted that the Committee had never seen the Ohura Valley proper, and so could not report on it. He himself had been over the land with others, and the restofthe Stratford party—the Hon. Mr Cadtnan and othors—fully bore out what he said.

Mr Lawry then moved as an amendment " That in consequence of the Committee appointed by this Association to reporc on the Ohura block not having aeon the land, their roport is of no value whatever." He went on to say that if this Association did not settle the laud, it would bo snapped up by others. The Thames people had sent up a doputation to view the Ohura land, and they very properly put their swa^s on their backs and wont through tho country. The consequence was that they had selected two blocks of land as suitablo for settlement, and these proved to be amongst tho finest special settlements in New Zealand. There were many other places in this island where settlements had been unpromising at first, but now bid fair to become MOST FLOURISHING AND PROSPEROUS. He instanced Awakiuo, Parakarebu, and other placetl. Ho added that ho had always advised intending settlers (.0 go as far South a>i they could in tho Ohura, so as to got tho good land.

Mr Poter Oliphant seconded the amend ment.

Mr Lawry paid the purchasos were going on gradually but surely.

Tho Chairman (Major Lusk) said that the party did nob see good land 20 or even 25 miles down the Ohura Valley. He and his party, ho asserted, paw quito as much of tho Ohura Valley proper as tho Stratford exploration routo party.

Mr Lawry and Mr Oliphunt : Not at all.

Tho Chairman admitted there mipht be good land further down the valley, but tho Committee simply thought ie was too far away for the purposes of this Settlement Association.

Mr Shora, M.H.R., suggested, that tho Committoo be requested to visit tho Ohura, again, and exploro ib properly. Mr Oliplmnt said that tho railway or road through lha Oliura Valloy presented no engineering difficulties. Thia guaranteed that communication could easily bo opened up. Tho block was eminently suitable for settlement. Ho had no axo to grind iv tho matter, and he simply made his statements as tho result of what ho actually ?aw and knew regarding the Oliura Valley. Tho railway through tho valley would bo one of tho cheapest in Now Zealand.

Mr Walker thought that the present Committoo of tho Association would resign and tho Association dissolve eoouo'1 than go on to tho Ohura.

Ono of thoso present doprocated Mr Lawry's warm language. Mr Lawry : They called us liara. Mr C. Rhodes said it seemed to him that the committoo of tho Association should admit at once that thoy had not soon tho land on which thoy roported. Tho Chairman would not admit that the fertile Mangaroaand llutitnlii branch of the Ohura, of which Mr Lawry and Mr Oliplmnt had spoken, woro in tlio Ohura Valley. Ho thought they shi uKI go over it agaiu, so as to get a good idea of the nature of the block.

Ono of tho intending settlors present thought it was a groat pity that tlio Comuiitteo did not go a littlo further south and sco tho really good land which ho fully bolicvcd \v»9 there, us stated by the Stratford party. MR LAWRFS AMENDMENT. Mr Lawry then placed his amendment before the meeting as follows :—" That in I tho opinion of this meting tho deputation appointed by tho Auckland Settlements j Avsooiaiiuu to inspect and roport on tho Ohura Valloy block did not sco tho land suitable tor suiall epoeial settlements, ixnd consequently their roport should be roferred bnck M them foi' further consldoration." Mr o'iiplinnt was tlio eecondor. On the amondment being put to tlio ; mooting, Air Shorn asked whether ho and i tho other gentlemen prosont who wore not actually tnoniburs of tho Association hail the rij/lit to voto on liio question. Tho chairman ruled tluib tho M.H.R.'a present and othor gentlemen who hail been invited to attend the meeting could j not voto, as they wore not actually members of tho Association.

Mr Lawry and Mr Jackson Paltnor Btro»gly proliostod against this ruling, rooitiK fchub all interested in tho Ohura sebtlemeat sclioms had been invited to tho mooting, and that tho member? ot Parliament had received special invitations to bo proHcnt. One of the intondinj: settlors prosonb askod tho Chairman to pub it to the meeting whuther tho Auckland members and others not in tho Association prcßont should bo ullowoil to voto.

This the Chairman vefu?ed to do, and tha amendment., on beini; pub to tho meetinjr, was nopativef.l by seven votes to two. Tho proposer and seconder of the amendment were not allowed to voto for their own

motion. Tho report of tho Committee, as read, was then adopted, with several dissentients. SPECIAL SETTLEMENT KEGULATIONS. The Chairman tlion brought under tho attention of tho meeting tho disability under which members of the Special SottlomonV Association tit present laboured in connnotion with taking up section of Crown Lam!", owing to the framing of cortain of the regulations. The survey fees, and tho regulation repbrioting *«c----tions to thoßO who di'l not already own or rent land, were points on which thero were subuUnUal grievances The areas of aocoiid-clasß hud should also be made larger. Mr Lnwry said he was willing to assist tho Association in every way ho could. Ho thought) the urea of tiooond-claas land should bo extended and made larger, and ho certainly thought; thai, survey fees might be remitted at tho outset, in view of tho fact that settlers generally needed ml their money to open up their lamK It would i irivo him ple'a&uro to assist the Association iiu their work of settlement, hum his place j in !'ft!-li;\:n;.nt,. Mr J. M. Hhora psivo tlieCommittcn some information aa to hie own efforts in the direction of amending the Special bottlemerit regulation*-, lie certainly thought reculation 4, in reference to survey feos, should not apply to the associations already formed. FURTHER SEARCH FOE LAND. After some further desultory discussion, Mr George White moved :-~'Uhat <he' member.'of tho & uckiand Special hebtlemotib Association determine to continue the search fora block or blocks of land suitable for small farm-sobblers, and us tho determining of a good locality entails oxnenoe that al! thoee who desire to persevere should give their name* to the secretary as being willing to bear part of the oxpwi.-e. | Mr McDonald seconded tho ra0ii...... He s-iid that thoro wore excellent Wooka 01 land in tho King Country-good limMtoiio country-much easier of access from Auck- '" Another member of tho Association advocated eetblomeß* in the Waimarino block, in the north of tho Wellington province. Mr Bluck dujr«osted than another party should bo formed to f>o up to tho Ohuru again and inspect the southern portion 01 the block. , , . .. Tho resolution was carried, and after n vote of thanks to the chairman the meeting separated.