BIAS ALLEGED.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 222, 19 September 1929, Page 10

BIAS ALLEGED.

COMMITTEE'S INQUIRY. TAUPO RAILWAY PETITION. DENIAL BY CHAIRMAN. MR. VAILE GIVES MORE EVIDENCE. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Repor!er.) WELLINGTON, this day. Allocations that members of the committee were evincing political bias led to heated interchanges at a further meeting this morning of the M to Z Petitions Committee, which is hearing evidence in support of the petition presented by Mr. E. Earle Vaile and 88 others, asking that the decision to abandon the construction of the RotoruaTaupo railway be reconsidered. After Mr. Vaile, who was'the only witness to-day, had given additional evidence, stressing the productivity of pumice lands when properly treated, he was.asked by the chairman (Col. T. W. McDonald) how much land the railway would serve. Mr. Vaile said he estimated the railway would serve 2,000,000 acres. Col. McDonald, reading from a Royal Commission's report, showed that the Commission found only 1,250,000 acres would be served, and that the portion of that area suitable for settlement was very limited. He said Mr. Vaile's statement that two Royal Commissions had unanimausly recommended the railway was not in accordance with fact, as the reports showed.

Mr. Vaile then protested that the Commission had found the railway could not pay 4 per cent, but that, he said, was an unfair test.

The Chairman: Do you deny there are 5,000,000 acres? Mn Vaile: Certainly. The Chairman: What do you mean by saying no vote is to be gained Jjy building a railway? You mean there are insufficient votes to influence the Government? Mr. Vaile: Yes. Mr. Vaile's Own Holding. The. Chairman: Have you only 10,000 acres of pumice country? —Yes. How much did you 'have originally ? — 53,000 acres. What is the value? —£3 10/ an acre.. The Chairman: So you have £35,000 worth of property on the proposed railway ? Mr. Vaile: Yes. The chairman told Mr. Vaile hie offer to sell his land to tlie Government was' worthless, because it was an undertaking only to Bell conditionally on a railway being built, and there was a proviso that Mr. Vaile might sell to another (buyer if an offer were made before the Government. Chairman Asked "Not To Comment." Mr. F. Lye asked the chairman not to comment on Mr. Vaile's answers. Mr. R. Semple said the chairnian should iiot set an example toy practically demonstrating political bias. ■ The Chairman: If my attitude is biased, your attitude yesterday may be said to have been more eo. ' My only desire is to get the facts. Later, speaking to a point of order, Mr. A. M. Samuel said a certain amount of bias had 'been shown, and he suggested that in. view of this the committee should call for any persons or papers desired by Mr. Vaile. In his (Mr. Samuel's) Opinion the inquiry had not ibeen conducted on strictly impartial committee lines.

Mr. T. Makitanara protested emphatically that there had been no political bias from Government members. It should be .remembered that everything that -was being said was going into the Press. 'Mr. Samuel: That's "where I want it to go. Mr. Makitanara rose and shouted protests when Mr. Samuel said bias had been shown on the Government aide, and the chairman called him to order. Mr. Lye said he had noticed no political bias, but ihe simply pointed out that there should be no comment upon the answers. "Insinuation" Regretted. Mr. Semple regretted that an endeavour had 'been made to suggest that the witness was trying to enrich himself at the expense of the nation. The Chairman: It has never been suggested. Mr. Semple: Oh, yes; it has. You insinuated Qie had. something up his sleeve, and I don't like that sort of stuff. The chairman said that if any opinions had .been expressed they all had come from the members now talking. Personally lie had no. political bias. All .possible information would be obtained for Mr. Vail© if the committee so resolved. Invitation To Committee. Before beginning his evidence Mr. Vaile invited the committee to visit the pumice area, stating that it was desired to dispel any prejudice. The chairman, Colonel T. W. McDonald, said the invitation woul<;l be considered. Mr. Vaile handed the chairman a written undertaking to sell his Waiotapu property to the Government for settlement purposes. A Committee Member: Is that liiCj Government value. Witness: Oh, no. Mr. Vaile's Own Experience. Mr. Vaile gave particulars of afforestation, and said trees improved sale prospects, and the areas under forest i could be resumed if necessary for settlement purposes. Describing his own farm, i whicli he took up in 1007, ho said he could not claim to have made a fortune, ; but ho had carried out extensive experimental work, and now understood how 1 the various classes of land should be treated. Grass naturally thickened, and the land could be quickly brought in. The roughest he ever brought in cost 8/9 per acre to clear, 0/11 to plough hills and fill holes, and 4/2 for burning and stumping. Thus the preliminary cost was 19/10 per acre, and ploughing, discing and other work, with his own teams, cost 14/9. Manure at that time cost £1/11/3 per acre. This rough land was bought under turnipß for £3 11/3 per acre. "We want experienced men from the Waiknto to view this pumice land," said Mr. Vaile. He '.vent on to say that dairy yields were large o:i now. untried country. Several times at the Westfield gala he had topped the market with fat cattle, and once he topped it the same day with fat cows and fat bullocks. Ho put on record all his many show prizes for crops, vegetables, and clover.

. Tourist Attractions. Dealing with the tourist aspect, Mr. Vaile said the Taupo area, with its invigorating, champagne-like air, was the natural holiday ground for coast dwelling people. It was useless developing Rotorua alone. Tourists must be encouraged to see the sights of the Taupo district, and a railway would be most useful in this respect. The . country possessed exceptional features. ,If the railway went to Taupo it would tap 150 miles of water frontage on a great lake. The line cast of Taupo would develop as great a traffic as the Main Trunk had done on the western side. The proposed station at Waiotapu would be only 80 miles from Wairoa, in Hawke's Bay, and by means of the Waikaremoana road Hawke's Bay stock could be transported over this line. Financing By Assessment. In some respects the line could be built without cost, because an assessment could be made on the land served, and also on the forest areas. No settler in his sane senses would refuse to give £1 per acre with a railway, instead of getting the land free without a railway. It would be a crime to waste money on a road when a railway could be built for the same cost. Captain Mcintosh Ellis, late director of the State Forest Service, had said some years ago that the railway would carry a continuous flight of trucks laden with timber from the plantations. An important point, said Mr. Vaile, was that railways carried goods at 2.41 d per ton-mile, whereas the Government Statistician estimated road transport at over 1/ per ton-mile. Fifty to CO lorries were required to carry one train load. The committee adjourned till 10 a.m. on Tuesday.