Chatham Islands Inquiry Sought

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31384, 1 June 1967, Page 7

Chatham Islands Inquiry Sought

A remit that • the Government appoint a commission of inquiry into the economic and social conditions on the Chatham Islands was carried unanimously by the twentysecond annual conference of the North Canterbury Provincial District of Federated Farmers in Christchurch yesterday. “This matter has been brought up on numerous occasions, but there are still many anomolies regarding the Chatham Islands,” said Mr S. J. S. Barker (Chatham Islands). “Some coordinated movement is necessary. “The Government persists in the idea that the Chatham Islands are an integral part of New Zealand, and that laws must apply equally; and then they legislate against us. “The last time there was a Government investigation was in 1961 when the Departmen' of Internal Affairs published a report,” he said. “But the Government would not let the commission visit the Islands. "A fishing report last October was not allowed to be published,” said Mr Barker. “The Government has been duckshoving and passing the buck,” said Mr J. H. A Hollis (Hawarden - Waikari). “There have been many requests and the Government has said it will do something, but nothing has ever been done. “Social and economic conditions on the Chathams must be investigated. Conditions out there are completely unwarranted.”

Mr Barker said any assistance the Chathams get would be considered as an expenditure of overseas funds. It was very short-sighted not to do anything about the Chatham Islands fishing industry. Mr D. W. Gray (Hororata)

said there was a tremendous scope on the Chathams as only part of the islands had ever been developed. - Granulated Manures

Granulated D.D.T. superphosphate was an accepted mix, said the district vicepresident (Mr W. N. Dunlop) when speaking in favour of a remit that pressure be brought to bear on the local fertiliser works to manufacture granulated D.D.T. superphosphate. “To get it manufactured here would inquire overseas funds, so any pressure we bring to bear should be pressure on the Government” Mr R. K. Craw (Banks Peninsula) said he did not consider it mattered where the pressure was brought, just as long as there was continuing pressure to get D.D.T. superphosphate. The remit was passed. Two remits were passed on land subdivision. The first said that the conference disapproved of the decision to increase the minimum area for subdivision from five to 10 acres, and the second suggested that Federated Farmers approach the appropriate authority for discussions and negotiations in an effort to resolve the issue of rural subdivisions to the benefit of agriculture. Land Aggregation A further remit that the Government be recommended to repeal the provisions of Part II of the Land Settlement Promotion Act, 1952, dealing with the aggregation of land, was passed. “Our branch feels that this act is very much outdated,” said Mr W. T. Simpson (Springston). “Few farmers these days want to accumulate land as it only adds to their burdens.

“We feel that at this minute this act is out of date,” said Mr Dunlop. The delegate from the Christchurch Young Farmers’ Club (Mr G. R. H. Smith) said he opposed the aggregation of land where such aggregation prevented the full use of land. As he did not consider the remit would affect the issue of aggregation as matters stood at present, he was not against the remit