DETERIORATED LANDS

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 57, 29 November 1924, Page 7

DETERIORATED LANDS

COMMISSION AT TE KUITI (BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) f Te Kuiti, November 28. The Lands Deterioration Commission sat here to-day, Mr. G. H. Bullaril (commissioner) presiding. Comprehensive evidence was given by representative settlers. Air. John Francis, a representative Mairoa run-holder, said that deterior- ; ated lands were generally of light, loose loam not callable of holding English grasses after the potash from the bush burn had been exhausted. The cure was top-dressing. There were two classes of land between Te Kuiti and the coast —the easier type was ploughable and suitable for close settlement and the rougher fit only for large grazing runs. Private mortgages and stock firms in many instances reduced the mortgages and cut the losses, but the Public Trustee, who held many mortgages in this district did nothing, which was very bad for the country. The manuring of these lands was a matter “for experiment—settlors were working in the dark. The Government should estabTrsli an experimental station on the education reserve at Mairoa of 1600 acres, which was suitable for a borstal or prison settlement. . Tho commission was evidently much interested in tho latter proposal.

Mr. G. N. Boddie said he had not suffered from deterioration, but his neighbours had. On good land it was due to mistakes in sowing down, neglect of pasture, and mismanagement generally. In the case of Maori leases the impossibility of raising finance often C’Jppled settlers tit critical times.

Mr. G. Mathers, an Arapae dairy farmer, said he ran 150 cows on 300 acres, top-dressing with 3cwt. of basic supei- annually.

Mr. W. J. Broadfoot, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Suggested tho establishment of .a portable limecrushing plant. There were outcrops of limestone on nearly every farm, and if crushed on the spot would greatly decrease tho cost of top-dressing.