THE NAI NAI ESTATE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 224, 15 June 1908, Page 7

THE NAI NAI ESTATE.

SOME STATEMENTS. THE MINISTER INTERVIEWED. '-t■ .i ! °■ v- , THE-I STATE VISITED • An articlo was published, m-The Dominion. ;.v- \i<on Friday lastt'ffgirding the acquisition by i• • tho Gorcramontjof.'certain 1 land at Nai Npi ' as a sito for workers' homes. . It was pointed / out that tho ilald had been purchased privately in 1903 and. that in • 1005 the Govornmontjhftd obtained it for £21,000. It was also pointod out that tho Govern- :" mont's purchase was a., bad bargain, : that : the land was po -rjaAid swampy in character, t ' V ; /' arid that it-s.,dfs aitifciucality was alone, sufii- '. - cient .to mako i' unsuitable for tho ! .purposo ; -for which it ; wai:aSftuircd. . '. .' v- 'A''stotpmeriteil 'fecoii published j in reply:: : I'.' U/o property I - :- j ' KM'' acquired'.by I'tlio Gbvernriien ( i.'from /Mr; | .. - J. M. Leigh in • 1903.Th0 question i " ofKits purchass had come before, the Board. - of tho. Land P rpliaso• Commissioners, .con- I ;: r ,: 1 . -;, sisting of-Mr. A ißarron'/the.jthon Surveyor- ■ v - General (Mr. J'.'jV/A. Marchant), tho Under- • Secretary for illands (MivW.v G. Kensingvv; ton),, the then :dqrtmissionej- ; of .Crown Lakds . i'(Mr. J. Strauijion), and r Jfr. A. Reese, a -inombor of tho jWellingtoiifXand Board. It had Goevrn- '.. ~ mont by Mr. I.o|gh inlSO-t/the .minimum price : ';ivbeing ; fixed at'!£2oo per ■ acre.The -land,had fjabeon withdrawij;from"ii£fer'On;Juho. 22, : 1904; .On June 29,'. I^p4 i( again, been, sub■i - ■>■/:■.' mittod to' the i'Govowrnojit', and ' negotiations . : had taken, place; between jtho Land Purchase f; Board' and the pWer!? As a- result Mr. Leigh ■ appeared 'to jsubmit?-the question of - ■ ■ price of tho. Conlpon§ation' Court, and had f; v agreed) if. the con'seiited, to have the price fixed Court, to waivo his right, to.:seleeJ.,-Mtd- retain .any . portion of - the'bloclc for :Uis wyn uso. Tlio Board had finallyi-'.recommfii/dfjd late Premier, (tho Right 'Hon. S.^'J.:: Seddon) to acquire the land at,£lso This recommendation , had been: apprOved;by tlio Government, and -, j - the ' purch'aso?)iad i' ( |en,! effected -,at £150 .per / aero'.; It' is ftlJegcQVin the published 1 articlo vy' t the'^rMtom'effdation^'.-was' : -: mado ;in ' the .. 1 1 ; ( b'elief; t%t;fthe --"tMuperisatio'n .Court would ■ 'award a-^higher'jffium).'Tho . property' had : \ sinoo' bejrts?subdi.yjdedyinto':376 allotmentsj- ■ of a quar.ter;aor(>reach, with a recreation and ' School rqsWo. ;-It is also alleged. 'that tho i- . , land , was.- ,by Government. ofEcors ' : last wintoiii.m/tho muldlo/of tho rainy sea- ■ .-'i..Bon, far from bomg ■■ too 'damp ■ ,- S for habitation-,'/it; was dry and quito'fit for ; the t purpose' f, forj winch,it. was acquired. Fur- . ther, that' s ' tho'Estate, wlion dealt :with* -by :'' the would'amply justify^lio ,speift''unoji .it, and would return-fullv C per cent? o;jM;he.cost.Of'acquisition, and all other outlay,,— -• BY.THE MINISTER. - : ; ' last night as to his connection -:the/Hon. J; :.A.:;Millar (Minister-for Labour) said that when ho . cama iiito-foffico-he-.found that cortain land had bceiijpprcliased m tho Hutt Valley for y orkefs homfjs Ho fvent o\ er tho land with Mr 'Kensington (Under-Secretary for Lands), there was little chancijl-of' it being, required for tho pur- ' p ?, so '.i? t ?s:' uoh ' lt! was' purchased;: especially in.regard to tho workors' liomos at Jofpne. lie thon got tho Land De-pajtoentoto,tako-rt .over,-and.,use it under • -V /r, i ft° r r Sottlemeht'. 'Act - , 'instead ; of. : Homos Act.' "TJio w™/'; rtntmucd Mr. Millai, "seemed to bo ... ?.#aM'>^,far :away.:.that,l deemed 'it uhBUJtablof,(pr,,ijho.purpose ior. whiclrit was pur- •;; - i oiv that reason decided it wiia -.??. t ' r F. o P Q rty,' for my ...Dupftrtment to ro•tQlts_ dampness/-,I havo expressed* ' W®j9 n ' " t P a ' e ' PoWi : at' any,.time.":'. Mr. Millar mth tho exception of one ■ : V : v°^' o > ,i -^ a srSS'!n'Qhristchurchj. which-had - been acqraied 'by the Land Purchase Comu'if 10 ?°iiL S 'i h r 0 , had E» re hased no land on be--I>' re- ! department,-sinco' takini; ■ ■•; know.nothing about- this, mattei" ■ ; l^f/i-THiE^LAND-VISITED. . ■■ " in- 'question by 'aTopresqutativo of The Dominiov ■ S?y* jj" -.-the foot of thb hills "some distanm, to,.tho northward of Mr John . : j; -JvV? e iv s and is. an unattractivo loalung :l aiea f !rt present occupied by stumps : ftnd order to .understand the'posi- .. ?' lbn « ( ;|hej..point of,,' view -, of,' the" l Citv ' w P rl ? o rii? h P,'arrives at the Lower Hutt rail- • : SSeSan rcPreßC f ° n foot Ift x,late ;ourne.\', .and ho w.is' tired wnort he ainvod. A cyclist was met on ' S^^? y vifn^^ s^a? fc od:.^dr:?direot-ions-ras-of "the property •'bought' ' 'IIT xfe settleS oni '-i,P 11 ,',,, x e rp - Dhcd . mean 'Tho ' ' m't 0 ?-' no i , tlie.-'.riaind>"m4iich' '.tho' : ■; borne ;"1 ■ 'the. district. ' It ' tho i r aihvayi station,-afid-.irtho worker likes'to my 6d. for a 'bus v 'fare is .3d:, dwin" to ra competition between two rival carrv - . i?®/ -P?, 11 te.icanied ,to a.-noint on '-. -: ; .he '.iail 'reach. ■ ;• ■-™9r.,PMPi.P'' .by. a walk ; of overs'a mile. :;7 section,',on the Nai.Nai Road d e^;wido. r trehch; carrying", the drain--••!-:f.^>^.pf..Waiw^^tteam.:f.;,^ 1 0. land iti' ~. . ' ;ivhich -jis / covered with :,gorse oil thb isideii is ;,present i a,\ cattle-walk. - good, although,there is abundBnts grass; and the land generally seems adjoining .property, and is ■ofca-kind -eiitirely : different- irom, that Mr.- : :; The. Goybrhm,entV has car- : out, ; drainage^:operations, the .: '?nd .beingsintcrsectedv. with. wide- trenches ■six feet '. In,all these;.;vater, was flowing . mernlyincmce 'ilio •land I '*at"all- seasoiis ;. «kes ; :-tjiff/,wafer''.frpih - the ; -hills' that-'-'slopo' l-'t-A ij.Thercj is aVicottase .on tho estate,. outfits, value is,, of course,' 1 quite'-in- ■ "tho cost of : thfe ppppcrtyu « ; / •, ~ - i ! is ff spi?aking,.the is of poor.and , nihosjgitableJ.appearance, it .seems likely to ba as wek'f&r many pibnths in tho-.year- ''• 'time; It .'jn thid;';cos^.of, drainogti.'.'and - tho land for -• - £100"per'''acre~ \ 'xo n _)jhei.p'urohasß'price... . , - ■, .