THAT NGAROMA BLOCK.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 134, 9 June 1927, Page 8

THAT NGAROMA BLOCK.

INVESTIGATION URGED.

OUTSPOKEN GOVERNMENT

M.P.'S. "REPORTS NOT EXAGGERATED." That a thorough investigation of the conditions at Ngaroma should be made by a commission of inquiry, presided over by a judge of the Supreme Court, is the opinion of Sir. A. Harris, MJ*. (Waitemata) and Mr. V. H. Potter, M.P. (Roskill). At the invitation of the Ngaroma settlers they visited the block this week, returning to Auckland last night.

A representative of the "Star" interviewed Messrs. Harris and Potter this morning, when they made a joint .statement. "The conditions at Ngaroma are exceedingly serious, and, as far as it is possible to say as the result of what was, of necessity, a brief visit, the reports that have appeared from time to time in the newspapers, were by no means exaggerated," they said. "So far, of course, we have heard only one side of the case, so we are. somewhat handicapped in making a definite statement. We shall certainly make it our business to discuss the whole matter with the Lands Department, but in the meantime we can say, from our observations, that the majority of the settlers are in a state of utter destitution, broken in spirit and financially ruined. Settlers' Capital Exhausted. '•The block consists of 22,000 acres, divided into 45 sections, of from 200 to 700 acres each, and there appears to be no shadow of doubt that the whole area is seriously affected by bush-sick-ness. For some years past—in fact, ever since taking up their holdings — the settlers have been living on their capital, either capital owned by themselves or advanced by the Crown. Indeed, instead of the sections keeping them, they have been keeping the sections. Now, in all except three or four cases, that capital is exhausted, and the settlere are absolutely penniless, and, as far as can be seen, entirely without hope. No Practical Assistance.

"Quite a number of departmental investigations have taken place from time to time, and only recently, as a result, a very large sum of money has been written off by the Crown, in reducing original land values, the reduction of mortgages and the revision of arrears of rent and interest. Further, the eettiers have been assured that no rent will be charged for the next eight or ten years. That, however, is not of any substantial benefit for the simple reason that, for years past, they have not been paying either their rent or their interest. While their actual liability has been reduced, they have been given no practical assistance.

"Impossible from Start." "The settlers are claiming compensation for the capital expended in amprovements on the block, together with the loss of years of labour. In a nutshell, the position is that their all has been dissipated in an endeavour to farm land which was absolutely impossible fr-om the start. We are strongly of the opinion that a thorough investigation should be made by an inquiry, under the Commissions of Inquiry Act. The chairman should be a judge of the Supreme Court. Nothing short of a Supreme Court judge would, in our opinion, be satisfactory. If *uch an inquiry were heW, and the order of reference made sufficiently wide, we feel sure that adeqiiate compensation would be awarded the settlers. Solution Should be Sought. "There are ten abandoned sections on the block, and it seems t j us that one or more of these should have been utilised by the Crown for experimental invests tion purposes. That, however, has Sot been done, and the only possible solution as far as we can see at present, is the resumption of the whole block by the Li-own. It must be remembered that there are more than 2,000,000 acres of bnsh-sick country in the vicinity of Ngaroma and surely our Department of Scientific and Industrial Research ogether with the experts of the Agricul' tnral Department, should make a determined effort to find, a solution of the bush-sick problem. Appearance Deceptive. "The country looks particularly well, and grows abundant grass. Unfortunately, cattle, and*, more particularly sheep, sicken and die if kept there for any length of time. Every settler, without exception, has experienced heaw mortality among his stock. That explains how his capital has disappeared There seems to be conflicting opinion as to whether or not the Government was aware, at the time when the block was opened for settlement, that the country was bush sick. Whether that was soor not, the settlers have undoubtedly euf* fered grievous hardship, and immediate action is imperative to alleviate their existing distress."