PIONEERS' LAND.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18636, 10 March 1926, Page 13

PIONEERS' LAND.

IiWER VISITS CLARENCE Wp VALLEY. RAVAGES OP TC RAEEITS. Wg, (sriciAi. to "th£ rasss.'l M - BLENHEIM, March 9. llerAo references m:ide by the Hon. A. HfMcLeod, Minister for Lands, at the WL e jccoption t( ? his investigation of j|k suitability of the Clarence country E c ] OSC r sctUenieut, lias left a sense not, though, that Mm is 3Py complaint as to the Soochuess °f tllo examination. Mr jKj. Girling, M.P., who accompanied was an earnest witness on IfiVpolnt. The party, lie said, had had gfiftevcry strenuous days, and he was. IgtSJled that not many Ministers c\eu attempt to traverse .such country. The trip showed that fwrJieLeod had grit and stamina, and sEJ prepared to go anywhere to carry llfcbis public duties. Other members Kg (he party wcro the Minister's IffiVato secretary (Mr A. .W. Mulli■s&l) Mr W. J. Girling, M.P., Mr J. ?«den«i n i Commission or of Crown imlh Mr J- Bailey, Fields Inspector, SjjiMx A. J- Murray, of Woodbauk, who *hh& «« S u,<le ' Tho ri>rtyalsQ had the fiyrfces on P'' ll ' fc • or " tnc ."journey of Mr I'gtojinett, of tho Bluffs station, and «|£y Were assisted at the Kekerangu gMiOt the trip by Messrs Good and iafejlon, w ho rodo out to Deo Hut to with supplies. §Ms'l3B responso at tho civic reception, IfplfLood said the ride through the llpy had been a fairly strenuous one, Iwk oß o, ua,,t 5 r * ne horses provided, ll§fino wqather, and the geniality of l»Trholo party wade tho trip anything toL'IW unpleasant one. Giving the. IffißWaiy spells to animals carrying '&Mf\W a ° vcr ru go ni S n country, *£n£si&Hi(l down mountain torrents, itfiOTftith. boulders, meant from eight' on the track on each of fJft'flWO days. Disappointment, Wk-Matfi' confess," said the Minister. Spifl-tWis rather disappointed, for I BCe a larger area. There is |po3 Janet there, but it has been morciotlJ' destroyed by rabbits, and- it M}"Wlt* v wany years to recover, while llFwstlof Toading would bo enormous. Ill'vCOst of a mere bridle track, howmlr\ li works out at something like raOOO, and I should say that a 12ft jgpi would cost ten times that amount, w{!ff6 will go into the matter when I MM to Wellington." glffliile. tho trip had been interesting giykd also brought about a feeling of Kkncholy, particularly in seeing the Pilings of the Coverham homestead Hslßg"into decay. Thoy were not bcSmd easy repair, but they nooded exMBHfure to bring them back to their Mtefot nigh on half a century agoj mm the great Chaytor family lived Mro/and wero born and bred there, right in tho baokblocks. It was no Muer that tho members of this splenic' pioneer farhily who carved out a Mo.?, fifty years ago, had left their the history of Now Zealand. PbUcy Necessary; W<a tho course of his general romarks ®ie-problem of land settlement, the Bnister said: "What I said of the gum iupjmuiicQ lands of the north, I now hesitation - of the back patty of tho south. Certainly there fijl'-be future development in that JP|,'*but any attempt to rush it by inSj&jrienccd men can only end in disSfcnf* There are peculiar difficulties (jannoating settlement in all threeMtftiiiS, and it is only by men , and ISwlwitftpared to make sacrifices of no iihat the remaining unWBaMMraMs of New Zealand will Brought in thoy will , town or city institutions",', w/tocal bodies, or tho pious platitudes of feather-bed critics, "but tby the Ijfetuuo exertions of such ]inen and wonieaasStr'and Mrs Bennett, id tae Bluff, Upper Clarence, who . do %ot:lean upon .'Governments for everyW&g down to tooth-brushes. Pioneering r 3ij|ls,'evor been a hard taskmaster in out-jtf-the'Way places, and I would be much strprised if, after going through the 'Emulation of Blenheim, or any other $m in New Zealand, with the finest Ipthed <somb,'<one half dozen men and SSfiijien could be unearthed prepared; to town's pleasures and priviifes, to take the place of those,.such 'mm* aid Mrs Bennett, who are' the ipajjeltoesof New Zealand, as well as countries—the mon and iflgstt;Avho will go where few will foljgptauil things are mado pleasant and ©Opportunity offers of reaping where Ml®ft have sown." Jy V » Deputations Received. IpiMrag the deputations received by .to-day was ono from the M«B>(irdugh Progress League, ropre-Sffil-by its president, Mr R. P. GoulIBvMo' asked firstly for an indication RiLwbat .progress was being made :B[fetne survey of the main trunk JHwpyf socondly, whether the Govexnl&.'Vrould look into the closer settleWmd some of tho bigger Marlborough §p|e>, and, thirdly, whether tho Minismfeirould socuro a report as to the l||jp, in Marlborough which would by irrigation. . mSi& Minister promised to bring the llper.of a report on irrigation before l|gPreßponßib]e Ministor. i As regards Mr McLcod frankly dcipd'to say anything at present. As RjHibdividinK freehold areas, he ipd havo to bo cautious, for it would Hp' a bold man to go in for big subK&»n? in the present uncertain state g|y;e markets. However, he promised Kf|iFe what could bo done,. |j|he Minister has returned to Wcl-