THE EAST COAST.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 106, 28 January 1908, Page 8

THE EAST COAST.

VISIT OF THE HON. R, M'NAB.. NEEt) FOR RAILWAY..COMMUNICATION. -.'CLOSE settlement: ' .'. -IBT TEt.EQRArn— SPKOIAr. ■ CqnuESrONDUST;) Auckland, January, 27.V. ; .Interviewed -in •- Rotoriia;-- -the- Hpn'./R.' M Nab made some -most, important statements'-. relative to' East, poast lands and railway. Me' said' that th'o 'couritr'y .fro'iiV, Napier to Rotbrua was. entirely''new to bini. ;- ' Ho had. lornierl .soine idea ,of ■ its. rugged- nature, but found that/his .'coiu&pti'ons: wei'c erroneous: Continuing,tho Minister; said:—' ■ poilits"stand'o'llt.'in clear -relief, first, thai, tlio '.great, stretch of .country classed as pastoral, and'which is by nature pastoral, has' a '.carryiiig .capacity; in■ stock equal - to-the'-best -agricultural; country', iii other of the Dominion. Only; a- very small - , portion of 'it can '. be. called, poor country.. Everywhere there is;a sprinkling of . agricultural areas, >nnd in places .-.there-is some ,of the ritfhest class of land; in the' 1 two Islands. - •. LACK OF COMMUNICATION. - , v "This East v Coast-' coniitry, has*'"not' .develop J j.' lis . it should, ■ according to it's/ pro-' ductireness, ■ .because, ■it has boon liarfpered by tho lack of communication.- There is lack ol natural- ports and harboiirs,' and - the centres, of .trade cannot draw'fully on-tho rosojircos of this'countryi" ■ ' . AYhilo the Minister was in Wairca the river .was practically closed - to 'navigation; (xisborno ;v;as struggling under difficulties to make-a port' for seagoing -vessels,'and there were a few other ports whero : vessels, could iie off shoro'and take in cargo through the surf.- These disadvantages produced- definite lcsults. - They did-not-affect'.the wool trade much, hut they affected the frozen meat and.;dairying industries.. He believed that tho export of frozen laiiibs, whicli is the most profitable part in the > sheep industry, was less in comparison to tho number of stock in Poverty; Bay than in any othor part of Now Zealand, duo to transport: difficulties, This nieant .that the shoep owners werenot. getting., the best .'rotiirns from.;.theirfarms, and the - most profitable trade, was .lost. . .. ~ . . ...

.."You cannot • export lambs,'' said Mr.' M'Naly ,'rif you 1 hare to , drivo. them : forty oi- fifty' miles by .rough ,ro«ds;.. This was expressed, in the cry- of. every, local:.centre for freezing, works. The' same .thine struck mo in relation to dairying. There arc only twenty, .miles of railway... in tho whole '.vast.btretcii of. good country... Dairy lactones must send, their producc long distnncos by waggons, oil launches, and small seagoing craft.' '.This has meant deterioration'. .in, quality and heavy expanses in. freight,. tho result being, that sMiie lactones .started to close down in despaii. This complaint, was voiced in an appeal to haro ,Gisborne'. made a; grading-centre, but, in : iny-opinion, tbis would be. a mistake. ,1 ..recognise. that 1 tho success, of the-dairying industry ..depends on' quality, and, tho only, proper method isto' handle the butter as. little as. possible.' Railway communication' with Auckland, and. iik sulatod trucks;.-would. assist .'tho' East'; Coast dairying more than new .grading, stations. The sumo argument regarding tho proportion 6f export lambs applied to dairying;" There woi:c less milking cows' iri proportion to. the number 61 cattle ■on'thodiasb Coast, than anywhere. else', All ■ this ..loss 0f... profitable outlets is due to want'of good communication.'' .

RAILWAY MATTERS. This led the Minister to express his"'opinion as to,railway mat-tors.- Ho said: '.'Nearly all the complaints made to mo were duo to want- of railway' facilities. ' I beleive that, when Auckland and .Wellington"' aro connected by rail tho licst great national,undertaking is lo link Gisbonie with tho railway. system of New Zealand, and this by way of Rotorua. If tho -.people Of Auckland -are alive to their interests they will put railway connection with Gisborno first oil ■ tho list after tho Main Trunk liue. Auckland has another aspirant, for tlio .North Auckland trade, but whichever .centre lirst. establishes' railway connection with the East' Coast' addd a nqw provinco to its trade area. Tho line from Gisborne through Motu to tho Bay ol Plenty is thought by some 1 to bo a costly undertaking, owing to tho rough nature of tho country. It is nothing of the- sort.' i' have been oyer tho route with capablo oflicers, and tho lino is estimated to cost no nioro'' per mile than other linos in 'Now' Z.caldnci;. 'l'ho present railway from Gisborne to Karaka is laid through a vory fertile valloy presenting no engineering difficulties,: and tho extension to Motu antl on to Opotiki could bo done, at a cost per mile." not exceeding the averago-cost, for while the country is'fairly broken, nature appears to have anticipated' and prepared for tho coining of tho iron horse.- With the work already dine "'oh tho Gisborno to Karaka lino aiid the route surveyed, Gisborne .must, bo linked with other cent-res by way of Kotorua,.niid I would adnso Aucklaiidors and -East Coast-people ■ to join forces on this issue. This railway.would put tho East Coast sheep farmer on tile same footing as elsewhere, and give tlio'means'of developing a profitable lamb trade.:' It;would give .dairy farmers the same advantages, and introduce dairying into mauy districts which were marvels or fertility,., Already pew settlers from the south are'showing tho Gisborno people the drawbacks of isolation.' They have put forward' arguments; against duplicating tlio.-number ot export dairy centres, showing that nioclorn conditions' and-require-ments aro all in favour-of big collecting central ports, where'ocean steamers could .bo tilled, in tho shortest tinio with the ledst damage to tho produce. I did not find tho East Coast people-so hostile to the idea of'making Auckland a central ■ port as the people', of Uagiau". !\ud Kawhia. Tho. "exensibn/of tho railway from Gisborno to Motu would open sonie lino_ timber country. This. line would not wait for full completion before it proved payable. Moreover, it would -pass through extensive settlements. At one settlement on this route (Paparoa), there are farms' being worked and ■ homesteads; -aiid where no wheeled vehicle has been able to coma within hvo miles,' and even under theso adverse conditions tho settlers aro paying their way even now. It will bo. nearly a , year . before tlio road is completed so that a dray can . reach laparoa. iron) Motu to Opotiki .is., fifty-six miles by the present track, but the new roadjill reduce this distance to thirty-six miles, the railway when finished through-here will have, settlement all the way, and, besides tapping extensive forests of timber, will'open a. vast stretch of country to settlement no ono can now touch owing to want of com-' munication. A special 'feature-which makes tho railway hero more necessary, is the absence of road niet-al over a long stretch of country,' and the climatic renditions which make the roads impassable for heavy traffic 'luring the wet season.' I was informed that in this part- somo roads were officially closed tor months in tho year. I do not think once l ailway connection is made between Gisborne and Rotorua.' It will bo long before the line would bo pushed southward to Wairoa, and after that probably to Napier. - Tho gap between Napier and Gisborne will be difficult to nil, from an engineer's point .of view, as t.iere is some rough country to negotiate. I told the Gisborno people that they had boon reticent in pushing forward their claims to railway connection, and that tlioy should unite with Aucklanders in urging ■ forward the work. As to the route'the railway, will take .from Opotiki to Rotorua, I cannot- say definitely. Surveyors state that a good routo exists that would serve Opotiki and Whakatane." LAND SETTLEMENT. v Asked as to the East Coast lands to bo settled, Mr. M'Nab referred to the Te Aral and Kauakanao ost-ates, which would bo available in February. . "Vory heavy balloting is expected. There are a number of East Coast, grazing runs leased under the Act of 138,' i lor twenty-one years, the Government preserving the right to resume,them if they aro wanted for subdivision. The leases ar'o falling in, and the Government will now break up some of tho areas for close settlement. The runs cover a. great extent of country. Much of it is excellent land, and could bo thickly populated. ' Wlion L was .in Gisborne the people complained ihnt, with the exception of Wellington ■ house, rents , and land rents in Gisborne. were dearer than,

in. other. .centres', such 'as Ch.risfchnrch, Dun 4 ctlin, and,' Auckland. . This iwas duo to the population' and ; industries growing''faster., than. the . opening.' of. '.thy lands for. settlement'. 1 Sonic of tho. Gisborne ;flsits' eomniancl £>10 per .aero." . . Questioned'oll the effect of dear-land, Mr. 1 M'Nali saitl i "U the highprice'depeinls unoir tlie.igreat jirrilits iiiado fronr the use of tho land; 'tilat. is right- choiigh. If it is tho; owners' being; $6. we'll .'.off: that. they can' demand last penny, or tn,'tho lalid beinjj jso scarce and' the. conipetition pf''settlers, so- l;eeiv, ; it' : is ? absolutely tfronsj.... Mv. o\rir.people had this .experience in.the Old Country,'when' farmers' liad-to compete with men who- had - made', their, niohoy. in ;other .w'nys, 'and •,wanted the .pcs(ti,on.';that',' landowning/giy.es., (-.This, had' sent lip ..land- values -aiid rents'until there wis; lipprofit.' fov. 'tlio .firmev. .""'!; woiikV not like ; to'see "that stato'of things'here':'-' V• : ; I ■; the' new l vnd bill , , r Asked, as ..to. the- reception .of the..new land, 8i11,.. Mr..' M'Nab ..said among'.a- very liirga . nnmbor. of,' letters' from' intending, settlers h6 had not' received' one 'complaining' of the Short > lease,: but' lio.had received'., Ma'nyj sliowihg appreciation of tho .preference .clauses f6r; men ...with-- families,-, e.tc.. .Asked-.to - define wli.it. Crown, iertants could'transform. their lease" into' freeholds; Mr. M'Nab .'said 1 that leaso in perpetuity-, lands, except ..'under' tlie' Lands , for SejEtloment 'Act, could' bo purchasedand'ni'ade: freehold.' V. ' ' • ' ' ' :. ■ . ,- \' '■ :.. ; : DEPUTVTION ~ Speaking ,toU;..dep«tation at Gisborne, the Minister for Agnculturo stated .... " I have Keen bv'cr .tlie best ' parts of the' Dominion now-', and; as a'result of my visit to the Poverty. Bay district, I have no hesitation in saying that, 1 know of no part of ,New, Zealand where the want of; railway coramunication to the ports, and tho capital cities .is" , t."> be.put:.in'thosamo' street'as the want'of Poverty .Bay'for'-'a railway to Auckland arid Wellington.- The railway, I'havo realised; is the weik ; point in iconncctibji . with :! tho Poverty Bay district. I am astonished, that a - district with such" capabilities' "should 1 'be' satisfied: to remain without- railway 'communication' so long.""- * " : Mr., Elliott: "Wo are' not satisfied."' The Minister : " You have.', not said, much about it. It' only affirms . what- I ,hayo' ;, sai(i, elsewhere', that, had you'been'of tlio-Scotcli' community in the south, you'would not havo : waited so long, for when there is anything wrong; • are - in' ■ the habit.' of' let-ting the whole world kiiow." : ' .To-day Mr. M'Nab - visits the- Government. oxpqrimPntaLfarm in'the Waikato',:and later goes down.tho Main Trunk-line.>: i