ENQUIRY WANTED

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19251, 5 March 1928, Page 10

ENQUIRY WANTED

IRRIGATION OF LAND. SETTLERS AIR GRIEVANCES. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELBGRAM.) DUNEDLX, March -1. About 30 settlere, representing all parts of Central Otago, yesterday waited on the Prime Minister and Ministers for Lands and Public Works to ask for a Royal Commission of Enquirv to investigate every aspect of irrigation. The statements made by various speakers, who numbered 16, included charges of unsympathetic administration, waste, extravagance, and neglect of settlers once they had signed tlieir agreement. The Public Works Department came in for a great deal of adverse criticism. The Prime Minister spent over an hour listening to a long recital of cornplaiuts and grievances, both individual and general, and then delivered a most convincing reply to the settlers, who. he said, had greatly damaged their case by exaggerated publicity and agitation. He replied to the charges of lack of sympathy by reminding the deputation that a great many of them had not yet paid any water rates. The Government knew just who the defaulters were and could have taken action long ago. That did not look like lack of sympathy. Irrigation had a wonderful future in Central Otago, and the Government had far from given up hope. Still it had to see that the user paid for the capital expenditure involved. The Ministers were setting out oil a tour of the districts concerned, and he could promise them that the whole question of water charges and administration would be thoroughly investigated with special reference to individual problems and difficulties. They would then be able to decide, what should lie done. He pointed out that no definite hard and fast rules could lie laid down for the practice of irrigation; they were still in the experimental stage, but they would see as they went around whether their policy was the most reasonable one. He did not think they had anything to gain by the setting up of a Commission. He could not see what good it would do, nor could lie imagine what the personnel would be. The only hope of a solution was a detailed examination of the position from the point of view of the individual, with special reference to the personal equation and the type of land to be watered. He could assure them that this would be done. The Minister for Public Works and the Minister for Lands also spoke briefly.

The Ministerial party will leave tomorrow morning on a tour of Central Otago.