IRONSAND COUNTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 15, 19 January 1928, Page 22

IRONSAND COUNTRY.

A NORTHLAND PROBLEM. MINISTERS MEET SETTLERS.

DEPARTMENT'S EXPERIMENT,

(By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.")

OHAEAWAI, this day

For thirteen years, and probably longer, people who know the Northland have been advocating that the Government should do something with the tens of thousands of acres of ironsand country in Kapiro Block, in the Bay of Islands County, and round about Waipapa. Two years ago the Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister of Lands, came up here, and had a look at the block, but would not give any indication of what he thought of the problem. Since that time certain investigations have been made, and yesterday Mr. McLeod and the Hon. 0. J. Hawken, Minister of Agriculture, arrived at a decision. A large and influential deputation met both Ministers and their Departmental heads at Waipapa, and finally threshed the matter out. At the conclusion Mr. Hawken said: "Well, I think it would be as well to go ahead, and experiment, and have a real go at it," to which the Minister of Lands replied: 'That's right." Productive Point of View.

Previous to this decisiou being arrived • at, members of the deputation, who had \ known the lands in question for ten i years and over, told the Ministers what 1 they personally had done. These men ! were perfectly satisfied that all the i lands on the plains, consisting of some tens of thousands of acres, were worth tackling from a productive point of view. It was stated that in certain parts grass had been down for ten year#, and had shown no sign of going back, and in some instances where men had tried the Waipapa gumlands they had proved their experiments most successful. If the Government was not satisfied to take the experience of those ineu, then let the Agricultural Department experiment with the ironsand lands, and find out for themselves how they could be brought in, for what cost, and all other particulars, so that if the experiment proved a success men could take up land knowing what they had to face. Some settlers emphatically assured the Ministers that the land t hey had spoken of was not of a class to be taken up by the small settler, but others were just as emphatic that the land could be successfully worked in small areas. Mr. McLeod asked if the land was brought in what was it considered it could be used for, to which he recciveu the reply '"'Sheep alone." It was reckoned that it would curry one sheep to tbe acre, and, if top dressed, perhaps a sheep and a-half per acre. Mr. McLeod said the question was what could the land be brought up to and the cost. Mr. Hawken said the land was too friable, and that was fatal to cows. It was purely sheep country. . 1 '

Conditions of Settlement. The Minister of Lands said he would be content to throw it open for occupation with right of freehold provided it was taken up strictly under terms of the Act of last year. Mr. Hawken: Is there any man who will take it? That's the point. If there were men in the district willing to take the risk and expend their own money ht would consider the question.

The Minister of Agriculture said that he and his Department would have to be guided by past experience In throwing any lands open for settlement. Some men had been put on land 30 years ago and they would have been better off in gaol; at least they would have been better fed, better clothed, and bettei housed. It might be that this ironsand country would have to come back into forestry, for which, in his opinion, h was most excellently suited, but, there again, the Government had plenty of lands for that purpose.

Mr. McLeod said the size of the LandsDepartment's block was 10,000 acres, and there were thousands of acres of siml lar land privately owned in the vicinity and not worked.

Field Officers to Experiment. Subsequently it was explained thai the Lands Department had agreed to hand over 1000 acres to the Agricultural Department, oil which small plots would be experimented upon by liela officers, and then it could be definitely ascertained how the land could be treated to the best advantage, and also- the actual cost per acre of bringing it in.

In view of the decision arrived at the report of Mr. J. B. Thompson, Under Secretary for Lands, presented to Parliament in 1927 regarding the settlement of Crown lands makes interesting reading. It is stated therein: "Blocks of typically poor pumice south of Auckland and clay lands north of Auckland are being prepared for disposal under the provisions of the Land Act regulating the disposal of inferior lands under the provisions of last year's legislation, and the result of offering these blocks will be awaited with considerable interest. No advances will be made to selectors of these sections, but the Act briefly provides for the issue of a license for a term of ten years, with restrictions on the size of sectio-ns that can be selected. No license can be transferred unless with permission, whilst the licensee is exempt from payment of general rates for a period of four years. Conditions of allotment provide that within six years the licensee shall have laid down in permanent cultivated grasses and clovers not less thau lialf of the area, and have placed upon the lanu substantial improvements of a permanent character to a total value of no-t less than thirty shillings per acre. All areas brought under cultivation have to be maintained in good order, and no improvements can be effected until approved by the" Land BoarC. Provided that the licensee resides on the land, the improvements required are reduced by half, and after six years, on completion of the prescribed improvements, a Crown grant is issued over the land."