GRAZING RUN LEASES

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22341, 3 March 1938, Page 10

GRAZING RUN LEASES

NO INTERFERENCE BY

GOVERNMENT

ASSURANCE BY MINISTER

FOR LANDS

RESERVATION OF CANTERBIR^

HILL STATION

"Neither the Lands Department nor the Government has any desire to interfere with pastoral run or grazing run leases and action to reserve the land for the preservation and protection of the forests and the water catchment areas will be taken only where is is definitely warranted."

This assurance was given by the Minister for Lands (the Hon. Frank Langstone) is a letter received last night by the Canterbury Progress League, which had sent to the Minister an article from "The Press" dealing with the termination of the grazing lease of the Glens of Tekoa station, in North Canterbury. The league asked the Minister whether the termination of the lease was to be regarded as an indication of the Government's policy in relation to similar grazing leases in the Canterbury hills country. He replied that there was no question of the institution of a general policy of afforestation in that country, but he could appreciate that there might be some misunderstanding in regard to the matter. .

"Actually, no leases have been cancelled, and in deciding that certain areas should be preserved for the preservation and protection of the forest they carry, the Government is merely dealing with the Crown's estate in the manner best calculated to serve the public's interests," Mr Langstone stated. "One unoccupied pastoral run of 45,000 acres, which has been vacant since 1930, was set apart as a permanent State forest in August, 1937. This area was summer grazing country only, being high, dangerous, and subject to snow. There is a considerable amount of bush in the valleys, and a number of tributaries of the Hurunui river have their source in the area. The conservation of the remaining forest is a matter of the utmost importance, and it was decided, therefore, that no further effort should be made to lease the land -" ~ • j n While that area was being dealt with, two similar pastoral runs came under consideration. These areas contained 18,432 acres and 34.500 acres respectively and formed part of the Glens of Tekoa station. The rentals formerly paid were £55 and £6O per annum respectively, one of the leases being merely a temporary one. The total carrying capacity was only about 4000 dry sheep and the country, running as it does up to. 6000 feet, was subject to snow. There\, was a considerable amount of forest , growth, and it had been decided, f therefore, that upon expiration of . the existing leases, the land should not again be let, but should be set apart as permanent State Forest When the reservation had been completed there would be a fairly compact block of approximately 98,000 acres of high country in the Lake Sumner country under State Forest control and management, and the Minister had no doubt whatever that the reservation of the land for the conservation of the remaining forest growth was the right and proper course to pursue. "The newspaper article mentions the wild sheep nuisance, but I cannot accept the statement that the Lands Department is in any way responsible for this problem," he added. "Any blame that there is in this connexion must be accepted by the runholders in the past who allowed sheep to stray."