THE MINISTER FOR LANDS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 167, 8 April 1908, Page 8

THE MINISTER FOR LANDS

INTERVIEWED IN CHRISTCHURCH. ' FUTURE MOVEMENTS. (BY TELEGRAPH —I>JtGSS ASSOCIATION.) Christcliurcil, April 7. Tho Hon. R. M'Nab, Minister for Lands, spent a few hours in Christcliurcil to-day. He arrived by tho Maori from Wellington, and left by tho second express on his way to Contral Otago,- where he will join tho Premier in a tour of that district. He intends to bo in Christcliurcil again on Good Friday, and will bo present at the Easter Volunteer manoeuvres in Canterbury, i He will then return to Wellington, and will go up tho Main Trunk lino in tho North Island. Ho is accompanied on his trip to Central Otago by Mr. G. Laurenson, M.P., who loft Christchurch with him to-day. . "BUSH SICKNESS" AMONG SHEEP AND CATTLE. 1 Interviowqd by a "Truth" reporter this morning, the Hon. R. M'Nab made a brief refercnco to the "bush sickness" among sheep and cattle, which is peculiar to the cauntry between Tauranga and Taupo. Somo timo ago, ho said, some preliminary investigations wero carricd on by Mr. Gilrutli to detormino the natlire of the disease, as it was unknown to science. Just before leaving Wellington ho completed ' arrangements giving authority to the Veterinary Department to carry out a complete investigation. Ono of the ablest veterinary surgeons attached to tho Department would be detailed by Mr. Gilruth .for} the-work. A piece of land in tho affected area on the Selwyn. Estate was availnble for the experimental work.' The "bush sickness" affected sheep after they had been about three months on the ground. They begin to give way,-to indicato weakness, gradually get weaker, pine away, and ultimately die. Strange to say, the postmortem revealed no cause of the wasting process.'- The treatment of the disease was comparatively easy, being merely a change from one place to. another, outside the affected area. (Tho Department hoped to bo able to ascertain-the cause of the ailment when thoy got control of the disease. LAND PURCHASE BOARD. Tho Minister stated that tho Land Purchase Board was . now inspecting various estates in Otago and Canterbury. The Government was not allowed under the new law to acquiro estates during March, as owners had that month in which to raise their harvest. The Board had not sent in their report so far. The South Island properties, especially thoso recently acquired for settlement, had been going off in a ..very: satisfactory way, and the number of. applicants had been iii excess of those for North Island estates. NATIONAL DEFENCE LEAGUE. In regard tp tho request of tho National Defenco Leaguo that delegates should rcceivb frco railway'passes to the Conference' in-Wellington, Mr. M'Nab stated that this matter had been referred to. him as Ministor for Defence. A suggestion had been made that tho concession granted should come as a charge on tho Defenco Department. Bofore leaving Wellington he had sent a reply that tho Department was unable to pay the railway -expenses of dolegates. Even if they wero sworn-in members of tho Defenco Forco, the Department could only : p'ay their expenses in certain cases, such as going to or coining from their duty aud attending at some of tho rifle meetings. In these circumstances, he could not use tho defence funds- to pay the railway fares of civilians. , . HISTORICAL RECORDS. .: Mr. M'Nab said that Volume 'I of tho Government historical records, which was delayed on account of the index . being destroyed in the lire in Parliament Buildings, had'been finished. Tho book is now printed. The last sheet-, index, preface, and title-page.are .all:revised,, and ho had boon, promised on his return after Easter to bo put in possession of tho first, lot of bound' volumes. In regard to the second edition of his own work; "Murihiku," ho thought that it would come out in Juno of next 'year. Tho work on it is done in spare halfhours, and ho did not got .many of them out of a day." ' The first edition went off'very well, all the copies of it haying been purchased. There was, ho said, a comparative rush on early history. works just now. Dr. Hocken's bcok on tho 'lifo of the Rov. S. Marsden, tho first Now Zealand missionary, was now in tho printer's hands, and it would' bo a classic work. There was also, a bibliography , from tho doctor's pen, which was now in type in Wellington. THE DAIRY REGULATIONS. . Dunedin, April 7. 1 ,The Hon. R. [M'Nab arrived here by tho second express .to-night. " . In replying' to a deputation of dairymen the Minister gavo a distinct promise' that the substantial improvements in regard to [ dairies and byres would not bo enacted until there was sufficient statutory authority compoilirig tho landlord to bear his portion of the cost. ■ It was not intended to ask that byres be completely concreted, but there was a necessity for having some form of paving which would be impervious to water. Power would be given for an appeal from tho decision of the inspector to the Chief Inspector of Stock. _ If tho regulations did not work satisfactorily he would bo prepared, at the end of 12 months, to reconsider tho whole position. He_ wished to' make it quite clear that' the desire of the 'Department was to make the regulations educative rather than punitive. Th.o leaves to-morrow for Cromwell, where he will join the Prime Minister.