TAUPO RAILWAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1544, 13 September 1912, Page 9

TAUPO RAILWAY.

—; s •• INQUIRY CONTINUED. INTERESTS OF NATIVE OWNERS. LABOUR OBJECTIONS. The inquiry by a special Parliamentary Committee inlo the petition of the TaupoTotara Timber Company was continued yesterday, Mr. G. J. Anderson presiding. " Mr. A. W. Blair, barrister and solicitxir, appeared on behalf of To lieu Hen ami his people, Native owners of about 100,000 acres of land in the Tiuijjo district, llu stated that they heartily supported 'tho amended petition. Half of their land was affected by the p,runo>cd I'utaruru-Taupo line and half by a railway which the Tongariro Company would construct from Tokannu (o Kiikalu. In refill to their 5(1,000 acres of land .south of Lake Taupo the Natives had entered into a contract with tho Tongariro limber Company under which the company was to build a railway, connecting wi.th Hie Main Trunk and to complete it not later than March 31, 1010. Tho point he was askfd to make was that owner.s of all the hinds'effected by the Tim»anro railways (50,00(1 acre.-) by reduction of royalties, etc., had virtually done their share towards tho construction of this , railway. Those owners asked to be excluded from nny obligation in connection wilh (ho cost of the Taupo railway. To 51 r. Young: Mr. Blair stated that about lit) people- wero interested in the 100,000 acres owned by tho To Hou Ucu family. To Sir John Findlay: The Tongariro railway was estimated to cost about a quarter of a million. He could not prophesy as to when, the lino was likely to bo completed. Mr. F. G. Dalziell was then examined by members of the Committee in referenco to tho amended petition. Mr. Buchanan suggested that tho Government would bo foolish to take over the lino with' its existing curves and grades because it ran through easy country in which better grades and curves could ba made. Mr. Dalziell submitted that this should not bo dono until the trado of tho district warranted. The timber traffic was as heavy as any traffic likely to be available and Iho railway carried tho timber tratlic now. Mr. Buchanan said that his question referred mainly to the proposal (hat the Government should take over tho lino at the end of fifteen years. Mr. Dalziell said that-this line should certainly bo continued to Taupo. Until, this had been dono it would be impossible to secure tho development which would warrant a better line being constructed. To Sir John I'indlny, Mr. Dalziell saidthat Uio lino could be mndo safe for passenger traffic at an average speed of 16 miles an hour by an expenditure of ■A'sooo. Giving a reply to a question put by Mr. Buchanan on the previous day, Mr. Dalziell stated that tho maximum? riso and fall of Lake Taupo was three foot. There was never nny difficulty in serving the wharves on the lake. Half a million acres of private land, Mr. Dalziell stated, were (apped by tho present Taupo line. Trades Council Objections. Mr. C. B. Collins nsked permission at this stage to statu the objections of the Wellington Tnides and Labour Council. Thu committee, assented. Mr. Collins then niadu the following statement:— "We make the following formal statement oi tho grounds of our objection because wo recognise that, whatever the committee's recommendation may be, tho responsibility of any action thereon must rest with the Government. . Tho alternative proposals aro so different in character that they are dealt with separately. As to what Air. Dalziell described ■ as the 'main' proposal (viz. , , Government acquisition), wo offer no objection provided tho following conditions aro satisfied:— "1. That tho capital cost of tho railway is paid.for, out of the increased value- of. privately-owned, as well as land now in tho possession of the Crown, or to bo acquired by tho Crown from tho Natives. Wo welcome the recognition of the principle that tho cost of railways should bo discharged out of consequent increases of land values as well as out of working profits, but tho present proposnl ap--plies this principle in a partial and unfair way, seeing that there is nn enormous area of privately-owned land to be served: by an efficient railway service at fair rates on the present line nnd tho proposed extension. State Railway Urged, "2. That a plan is devised whereby it will not be essential to "the project that the Crown should dispose of the, freehold title of its lands. Our support of the leasehold system (meauing thereby renewable leases) is for the reason that it secures to tho tenant all improvements effected by him while keeping for the benefit of the State tho most of the com-munity-created value; nnd enables 'the Crown to insist on proper conditions of improvement and user. Until this system is applied to tho whole of the lands of Now Zealand (riot by buying out the proprietors, but by declining to allow them to appropriate for their individual.benefit tho result of industry and progress and of the iricrease of population) wo are absolutely opposed to the Stato parting with any portion of Crown lands. "3. That the railway shall immediately be operated and controlled by the Crown. A railway must necessarily be a monopoly; it is subject to no competition; and that monopoly ought to be permitted only to the State and bo operated for the public benefit. Tho device of fixing a maximum R'alo is an ineffective and clumsy expedient. "■i. That the purchase price does not exceed the fair actual value of the railway .line and rolling-stock. "Whatever conditions aro stipulated for by the State on purchase, the company will have the benefit of being able to dis-po-o of its permanent way (i.e., rails and sleepers) in situ. "U'o nrc altogether opposed fo tho alternative proposal (which wns the original proposal) that, thu company, should be permitted to acquire 'U'l square miles, of Crown or Nativo land; and thus be enabled to appropriate fbr ifs own benefit (and at thu expense of the community) the- nnich-enhiinced values that the evidence shows will probably be obtained when tho public recognise the proved utility of these lands, when suitably treated, lor growing root and grain crops and grass. Such increase will bo due not only to railway facilities, but also to improvements in agricultural methods, increase of population, .scientific discoveries, and many other contributing factors which so to mako up tho unimproved value of land. Suppofins the company acquires this area of 200,000 acres at ss. an acre; it is possible that in the 10 or 15 years which it is suggested the company should have in which, to dispose of it in small areas, tho value may increase, with littlo or no expenditure on the part of the company, to .£1,000,000 (200.000 acres at £3). The resulting profit, may oonceivobly therefore be .£930,000, which is sufficient condemnation of the proposal, seeing that this very large sum would come, not from the cultivation of tluland, but out of the earnings of the wholi , of tho community. We respectfully submit thai this, the original proposal, was conceived in tho lust for wealth without labour or service, nnd brought forward a? the twin-brother of a railway monopoly which the company is prepared to offer i as a sacrifice tn'the State on the condition that its lusfy fwin-brnther (tho land monopoly) is clothed with the sanction of Parliament. We nsk the committee to stille both; and in conclusion we regret ■flint it is a condition precedent to tlr interment that the country should be put to the expense of another inquest. On (his point wo draw the attention of the committee to the Parliamentary Costs Act of the Imperial Parliament as a model to bo followed in such- cases." Mr. Collins said that qny replies that he inijrht make to, questions would not have the authority of (hi- -tutoinont. Xo (|iieslions were ptil. Evidence of a Pioneer. The nexl witness (-ailed was Waller Ernest JVnrsiin. scf-reliiry of dm Wellesley Club. ■ .lie said that about 30 years n-o he had spent six years in (ho Tuupo district. For about four year- he wn>"*i'n'gaged upon n flu-op rim of about 200.000 acres near Tokaanu. which carried alimi* 20.000 sheen. The run embraced practically thr whole of what was known m the Waimarinn Vfoin. Ths run wns abandoned when !»B)!lntir-n <va? r n!?e( ' prohibiting private dealing ui Native lands, In

the Tuiiuu-Tolinnun district when it was served by a railway. ilv. Buchanan asked whether it was not « fatt thai difficulty had been experienced in rearing Jambs on tint run roferml to. Air. lVnrson said that there, was a plant on tho Wnimariim Plains which caused considerable losses. This was not (v factor in the abandonment of (ho country. Ho'was not aware that this trouble had extended to other parts of the pumice country. He was not awaru that other settlers had abnndoneil tho country owinif to the dilliculty of bringing their young slock to maturity. The poison plant m> far as lie knew was confined to the Waimarino Plains, It would surprise him tu hear 'that a prominent .settler in theAuckland district had informed Jlr. Buchanan that the same pest existed over other areas.' , 'I'o Mr. Mncdunahl: He went to Tokannu in 18711, and remained in the district until 1885. To Mr. Laurenson: Wheat had l>con grown on lands near Tokannu for 15 years in succession without rotation of crops and without manures. Wheat whs grown until tlic land sickened. To Air. Buick: Much of the land near Lokauiiu was clothed 'in heavy manuka scrub of tho kind • denoting good land, much as it had been 32 years ai;o. llio slopes of the hills in this region mul all been clad originally in heavy bush. The land was as good as any in the Dominion, and with a sufficient population would be the garden of New Zealand. If tho line wore carried to Lake Tuiipo it would undoubtedly give a "rent impetus to settlement, and in addition would provide a valuable extra route for tourists. There was a lot of apparently very bad • land in the Taupe- districts, but he had seen the finest root crops he had ever seen in New Zealand grown in what appeared to bo pure pumice. This land at Tnupo had boon left nlonc because people thought it was useless, but he ' firmly believed tho Taupo district would one day bo the garden of New Zealand. ' / A Land Agent's Evidence. Hugh L, Wilson, land agent at Christ' church, said ho was associated with one of the owners of the T.okaroit Block, 50,000 acres, which was owned by Canterbury people. The company's line already served tho block, so that an extension of the railway would not affect it. It had already been surveyed in blocks of from 350 to 1200 acres, and it was jiow being roaded with 121 miles of road. Hβ had taken 15 farmers over tho land, and they were all very well pleased with it. He expected no difficulty in disposing of the sections. The sale price ranged from .£2 ss. to £3 10s. per acre, and there would be no improvements except the roads. He saw no reason why all the land to be served by the line could not be settled in areas of similar size. If the Government opened up the land a greatexport of butter nnd other produce would conic from the district. He put in a photograph of a sample of red clover, four feet high, grown with ilicwt. of fertiliser <in Taupo puniico land that hnd been broken up for some years. Mr. G. W. Russell, member for Avon, asked to Iμ allowed to give evidence. He wished to speak of the effect of tno line on the country south of Tnupo. It was arranged that his evidence should.be taken to-day. Expert Advice. Edmund Clifton, director of field experiments for tho Agricultural Department, was called by the Committee, nnd was asked to make "a statement as to tho value of the land. Ho said he knew tho Taupo country fnirly well, having travelled over it fairly extensively. The country was of- somewhat similar nature to tho'lighter lands of the Walkato, and pouio was pumice land,- which appeared to bo useful. One-third of the whole, area would bo good, useful land, one-third would have to bo occupied in large areas, nnd about one-third wa-s probably useless. He did not think any of the land could bo occupied without some cultivation. It had no natural,carrying capacity now, but a very large proportion of ,the Taupo land was cultivable. Tho country could not be occupied until communication was improved, but also the nature of the land prevented its being very much sought after. It was uecos-sary to have a large capital to operate on'it. It was not a poor man's country, the holdings would liavo to bo large, and wo'uld have to be held by men of reasonable means. Under proper cultivation, breakingup grass every fourth year, or maintaining grass with top-dressing, tho better class lands of Taupo would carry a sheep and a half to the acre. The country did not appeal to him as a dairying district. Rather, tho land would be suitable for stock raising. Portions of it might be good enough for dairying. It was eswmtial to make these lands productive that there should be cheap transport by railway for artfTicinl manures. Tho proper application of manure ought to be about three hundred-weight to tho acre. The land might grow fruit, but ho would hesitate to recommend nny enormously largo extensions of fniit-growing in New Zealand. No sufficient test of the swamp lands at Taupo had been made to justify the statement that they would be w-orth -£25 an acre. To Sir John Findlny: He still had hope for the future of the. Tnupo country. Experimental plots there hnd demonstrated that certain grasses were capnble of adapting themselves to the Taupo lands. He thought that in the course of some years , two-thirds of the land would bo useful for settlement. If 1/iko Taupo wore joined up with the Main Trunk Rvstem, it would be possible to consider the settlinj of Taupo land. Mr. G. AV. Russoll was allowed to ask some questions. In reply to him, Mr. Clifton said it was impossible to send away fat lambs from the lands to the south of Taupo now; carrying shocp, nnd it would be iinporfblfl to do" so until there was a railway to til* lake. What happened now was that the lambs were 'sent nway n$ forward stores, and fattened, nearer (ho marlict. no did not think, however, that the land would be useful for settlement in small sections. It was a fact that tho iicacic plantations at Rangiriri had turned out a financial success, and it was nlso true that tho worst pninico land of Taupo would grow wattle trees. The question of the availability of labour for stripping find preparing Hie. bark for export would have to bo considered. The Committee adjourned until 10 a.m. to-day, when the evidence of Mr. B. C. Aston, chemist in tho Agricultural Department, will be taken.