CLAIMED WORTH ONLY £28,000

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 65, 11 December 1943, Page 8

CLAIMED WORTH ONLY £28,000

Submission By Crown In

Waiouru Run Case EVIDENCE OF FORMER HOLDER The Crown contention, advanced by the Solicitor-General, Mr. 11. 11. Cornish, K. C., in the Waiouru run compensation case (continued in the Court of Compensation, Wellington, yesterday) was that the property, through deterioration, was not worth more than £28.000 today. It had been too highly valued in the past and the Crown was prepared to cancel the arrears owing by claimants. Forests, Farms and Products Limited, which were represented by the difference between the £28,000 and the sum of £46,000 owing as interest and balance of purchase money. Mr. Cornish admitted that the price at which the Crown had originally sold the property to claimants was too high. Claimants, represented by Mr. C. R. Evans Scott, seek £53,441 as compensation, this being over and above the debt of £46,000, making their claim, in effect, approximately £lOO,OOO. The Crown case finished yesterday. Counsel will address the Court (Air. Justice Johnston, president, Mr. AV. R. Birnie and Mr. C. V. Plimmer, assessors) on Monday. Mr. J. Prendeviile appears with the Solicitor-General for the Crown. . Crown witnesses yesterday, including one who had been on the run in 1905-08, valued the property at under £30,000. J. B. Campbell, sheepfarmer, continuing his evidence of the previous day, said that from an economic viewpoint, it was now impossible to develop third-class property. It would be serious if second and third class land went out of production. ... N. H. Mackie, district valuer. Wellington, said his valuation of the property in 1926 was £36,675 and in i|939, £28.567. He based his valuation ou his general knowledge of district sales and leases; the perpetual difficulties of the settlers as indicated in their correspondence with the Lands Department; bis dealings with the settlers generally; and the 1937 valuation of part of the property and the 19..9 valuation of the balance. AT hen the 1939 valuation of the district was made, a representative committee of high-country men from Ngamatea to Waiouru,. who had the best private advice, met him to discuss valuations. The result was that tbe valuations were agreed to without holding an assessment court. Early Holder’s Evidence.

A valuation of £26,550 was placed ou the property by A. C. Morton, till recently senior lecturer at Massey College. He said that his brother_and he went on to Waiouru about 1905. He consul* ered au estimate that Waiouru could carry 14.000 sheep to be excessive. It was now a different property to when he. was on it; it had deteriorated badly. Country of the type of Waiouru did not automatically restore itself after the rabbits hud been killed. On green grass land, it the rabbits had been coped with in time, regeneration took iilace and the pasture became more or less restored. But on country with soil of the nature of Waiouru. and with the elevation and winds, the position was entirely different. Nature, after centuries, had given a vegetation covering to the Waiouru country. The effect of heavy and rapid infestation by rabbits at first destroyed the soil cover to break the surface for burrowing and to eat all the finer grass growing between the tussock; it also prevented regeneration by reseeding. Further, the destruction of natural vegetation admitted the ingress of low fertility demanding vegetation, notably hawk weed, fog, sweet vernal and bidibidi. There was another factor of deterioration which was not generally reckoned. The vegetated cover bad prevented leaching ot certain soil nutrients and to some degree prevented the loss of trace elements which scientists were now decided were vital to the good health of animals. Waiouru now had broken surfaces, seriously depleted feed and little fertility. The only overstocking there had been, with rabbits. His brother and he sold AVaionru in 1908 because they would not risk the effect of rabbits. He spent three days on the properly in November with Mr. Campbell and one day alone. He walked over what was called the freehold and did tbe gullies ou foot, on horseback, or in part, in a jeep. During his walks he saw 3000 sheep. In the best, feeding place he counted 1052. some of then; skeletons. No one with any sanity would topdress Waiouru today. He was the only witness with first-hand knowledge of the country. The Solicitor-General suggested that, the members of the Court, might want to y over the property. If so, a plane woihd be provided.