TAUPO PETITION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1539, 7 September 1912, Page 3

TAUPO PETITION.

INQUIRY CONTINUED. POSSIBILITIES OF PUMICE LANDS. The inquiry by ft Select Parliamentary Committee into the petition of the Taupo Totiiia. Timber Company was continued yesterday morning. -Mr. G. J. Anderson presided. Sir John Findlay and Mr. I'. li. Dalzioll appeared for tho Taupo Totara Company, and Mr. C. B. Collins for the Wellington,, Trades Council, which opposes the petition. • At tho request of Mr. Collins, Mr. W. S. Shortt (Assistant Und'er-Secrotary lor Public Works) attended amLproduced and Tead bhe correspondence between the Government and the company relative' to tho building of the tramway prior to the granting of the Order-in-Council. * Mr. Collins explained thnt ho desired to seo what inducement had originally been offered to the Government by tho company. Sir John Findlay approved the production of the correspondence, remarking that he could not allow the company to rest under the imputation, that any inducement had been offered. The company was not asking for a concession, but wos making a business proposition. A Retired Civil Servant. Mr. W. C. Kensington (former Undersecretary for Lands), who described himself as a retired Civil Servant, repeated his evidence given at the Taupo Totara inquiry of last year, when he was Undersecretary for Lands. He detailed the areas of the Crown lands that would benefit by the extension of tho Taupo Totara line. During the last two years a remarkable change of opinion had occurred in regard to pumice lands, such as existed in the Taupo district. Formerly the lands had been looked upon as useless, but now settlers wero established on some of these lands and were doing well. The pumice lands were open and could be quickly brought into profitable occupation for from £2 10s. to .£3 per acre. As much had to be spent in clearing bush lands, which even then could not be ploughed on account of the presence of stumps. Of the 350,000 acres of Crown land at Taupo, there were 242,000 acres unlet. About 81,000 acres were held under temporary leases. His personal opinion was that tho land should be settled in areas of from 300 to 500 acres, and not exceeding 800 acres. Granted easy transport for manures, he thought it would be found much more profitable to work these lands in comparatively small areas than in large areas as runs. In his opinion it would pay better to take over the line owned by the company for than to take a line on from Botorua onwards at certainly a not less cost than .£6OOO to .£7OOO a mile. He considered that the Taupo line would open the country better than a line on the alternative route.

1 Mr. Buchanan: In view of the change of opinion and tho great demand for the land, why did not t.he Government open up these lands two or three years ago ? Mr. Kensington: "I was partly responsible. I did not think that there was sufficient access to the land to warrant opening it in small areas." Manures were absolutely necessary in cultivating these lands. Mr. Buchanan: Can you give the Committee any evidence of demand for these lands? Mr. Kensington: Very few applications were sent in, but many letters were received from settlers suggesting schemes for cutting up these lands. Mr. Buchanan asked whether lands had not been settled with immeasurably worse access than was available for these open lands. Mr. Kensington agreed, but said that on such lands no manures were required. The pumice lands were suitable for agriculture. Mr. Buchanan: Could not settlors get supplies by bullock-dray from the present terminus at Moki? .Mr. Kensington: They could. He was not prepared to say whether it could bo done at a reason'ablo cost. - To other questions, by Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Kensington said that tho awakening of public opinion in regard to the value of pumice lands might have taken place three, four, or even five years ago. The pumice land was suitable for close settlement. It should'be ploughed and dressed with 2cwt. of manure to'the acre. Every time it was ploughed it got better. '. To Mr. Ngata: The proposed extension would run mostly through Crown land. Mr. Wilson: What would this country carry? Mr. Kensington: Eventually it would cany a sheep to a sheep and a half to the acre. Mr. Don't you think it would be better to give this country to wealthy men to break in? Mr. Konsington eaid that he used to think so, but now considered that it would pay better to settle tho pumice lands in small areas. .''-:. To Sir John Findlay: He did not think from his knowledge of the topography of the Taupo country that the Taupo-Roto-rua. lino would serve the district. To be useful, a railway must be along a more central'route. In the last two years it had been proved that the pumice -lands such as those in the .Taupo district could be made productive, and could be profitably farmed. From the case as stated by counsel, he. was of opinion that tli<» purchafe of the company's line would be a eood bargain for the State. Railways, at Miramar. A Settler's Evidence, F. C. Barnett said he was a Grown tenant at I'utaruru,- in the Taupo district, and he had been settled on his land for seven years. Five years ago a creamery had been built in the district, and there was at that time no creamery within 25 miles. Now there .were four creameries and one cheese factory within a radius of twelve miles. This proved absolutely that the land was capable of. close settlement. What it required was manure, and this made the success of the district, dependent upon easy access by rail. The extent of witness's own holding was 457 acres.' On one farm of 321 acres at Putaruru 34 dairy cows were milked, and the farmer realised from them .£l3 per cow for the season. In addition he grew such a fine crop of turnips that he had, a surplus to sell to feed other stock, and 100 fat bullocks had been fed on it. The country before it was farmed was poor looking land, covered wjth stunted ti-tree. The size of sections that would be necessary in subdividing the Taupo country would vary from 300 acres on the best land, to SOO or even 1000 acres on the poorer and more broken land. To go on to one of these sections comfortably a man would require £W0 or thereabouts, but there were instances of men who had gone on to sections with a ten pound note and made a success of the venture.

' In , reply to Mr. Collins witness said ho was strongly in favour of the proposal that the Government should take up the-land-and subdivide it, but, failing that, lie would like to sco the "company acquire the land and cut it up. To Sir John Findlay: If the land wore cut up it should brin? from 15s. to 30s. per acre. His own land had be?n valued in its virgin state at 155., and now he would not care to accept S:i per acre for it. Ho was absolutely certain that all ttio land south of Putaruru was capable of "Drontable farming if ?. railway were opened to bring in manure; otherwise it would.fce absolutely useless. The committee adjourned until Tuesday morning. :