OTAGO’S WANTS

Evening Star, Issue 16460, 26 June 1917, Page 6

OTAGO’S WANTS

MEETING WITH M.P.s,

IMPORTANT. MATTERS DISCUSSED

The Otago Expansion League called a meeting last evening-to confer with Otago members of Parliament on quite a humber of matters affecting the welfare of rthis province. Three members'were present—namely, Messrs T. K. Sidey, C. E. Statham, and A. S. Malcolm. Several sent letters of'apology. The other bodies represented at the conference were the Chamber of Commerce, Otago Motor Club, the Dunedin Amenities and -Town Planning Society, the Employers’ Association, the Head Masters’ Association, the Otago and -Southland Gold Miners’ Association, and the Second Division League, and they all’had something for. consideration in an agenda paper that contained some 17 subjects. They must have felt disappointed, after all their' preparations, that there were not more members of the 'Legislature present. THE PRESIDENT’S REMARKS.

Mr A. Bathgate (president of the Otago Expansion League) occupied the chair, and explained that the meeting had been called to consider the requirements of Utago before the session of Parliament commenced. Unfortunately, the terrible war in Europe was dragging its weary way along, and while they were all aware that it was not a case of business as usual, still things, so far as the internal affairs of this country were concerned, were not altogether at a standstill, and public works had not been, stopped. They hoped that their Otago members would get a share of what was going in that respect. He took the opportunity of thanking the Otago members for what they had done iu tho past. Ho thought Mr Sidey was deserving of special thanks, in that when members reached Wellington he took the trouble to convene a meeting and bring tho different Otago questions before respective -Ministers. He hoped ho, would do so again this session. In the agenda papers two matters appeared under his (Mi- Bathgate’s) name. —Afforestation in Central Otago.—

Mr Bathgate then brought up his first .subject—“ Afforestation in Central Otago.” He said that this was a matter he advocated last year. They had urged that there should be a prison camp, in Central Otago for this purpose. ' Whether that was agreed to or not. they would like to see afforestation carried on more vigorously than it. had been in the past. —Saddle Hill as a Reserve.— Mr Bathgate next spoke on the question' of the acquisition of the summit of Saddle Hill as a scenic reserve. He said that the Scenic Commissioners, when they visited it, had agreed that it should be a scenic reserve, and he was surprised that it had not been made one.- He trusted that the bush there would be reserved. ’ EXPERIMENTAL FARMS, CENTRAL OTAGO. Air Crosby Aforris spoke on experimental farms for Centra! Utago. He explained that the Expansion League recently met the Chamber of Commerce in conference, and a resolution was passed that one of tho South Island experimental farms be placed in one of the dry belts of Central Utago. The feeling was that it was more important for the Government to experiment in the dry belt than on tho coast or in the watered areas. They were not ashing for any special district lor such a farm, but they would like it dose to the railway, and they wanted in particular dry farming. They asked Otago members to bring forward the claims of Central Utago fur one of these farms. TENURE OF PASTORAL RUNS.

Mr C. Todd spoke on tho tenure of pastoral runs. He said that- the total area in Now Zealand was 10,642,507 acres. of which there were in the South Island 10,290,507 acres, and gin tho North Island only 552,000 acres, " The • rental was £76,789, or l|d per acre. The land in tho North Island was practically all under freehold, or leasehold with the option of tho freehold. Therefore this was a South Island question, and in particular affected Otago. 1 he lauds of Central Otago were mostly held under this tenure, and the result was disastrous. The carrying capacity was, he felt sure in saying, not 20 per cent, of what it should be, and ho spoke from knowledge of the country from the pre-rabbit' days. The rabbit, together with fires at the wrontr season, had reduced the carrying capacity, until a great part of tho country looked hko a desert. Runholders were not encouraged to improve their holdings. As a nutter of fact, the reverse was the case until recent years! Lately various amendments had been made, which alowed valuation for improvements such as necessary buildings, ditchino, fencing, scrub-clearing, ic-grassing, bridges, etc., also a former licensee had the rHit of renewal to tiins not suitable for subdivision, and in case, of subdivision had the right to select one of the subdivisions these concessions would have the desired result in most parts of New Zealand, but %he holders of runs in Central Ota-o required still -further relief. Tho’ country was over-run with rabbits, and the rabbits trapped in that district were the heaviest and fattest in Australasia. To get rid of these the whole country must be netted in Modes of from 1,000 to 5.000 acres, and then systematically trapped and poisoned, and when tho rabbits were reduced to a lew the natural enemy would keep the pest in duck. 1 his had been done on a laree block of land m Otago Central, and the ca P ac % raised from 9.000 to 20,000 sheep Nearly all the surplus now vent direct to the freezing works, whereas formerly only a few stores were sold. Another property was a rabbit warren 10 yam ago, and was sold for 30s an acre and now, after being netted and cleared of bunny, earned 2,500 sheep, and carried Ucm well, and was worth £8 an acre. Both these properties wore freehold ami it io an absolute certainty that if the tenure van pastoral license, these improvements vouhl not have l>een effected, at least so lar as the larger proporty was concerned because as soon a« the lease foil in th-> people would clamor for subdivision Tho man who improved his property on the mes ho had indicated immediately excited the envy of his landless neighbors, who clamored to liavo such a fine run cut up when tho lease expired, while the careless man, whoso run'remains unimproved, 'trot Oj renewal at about- tlic previous rental It was all very well to say that the former would receive full compensation. That was all right in theory, but did not work out m practice. The only remedy was to place pastoral hocuses on the same footing as all other tenures and grant the optioirof the freehold, and encourage the settlers to improve bv providing rabbit netting at wholesale cost, railage free, and give easy terms of repayment. The'freeholders would then kill tho rabbits, spell tho land for, ear three years, a portion of the run at a’time’ and the natural grasses would come again’ as could be seen in netted patches near Olydo and other localities without irrigation. Under the freehold tenure all the low country would bo laid out in orchards and lucerne. The latter would provide fedder for the sheep off. the high country during the winter. The result would mean that tho Government would receive in taxes much more than the.present rentals railways would be kept busy, and im creased revenue would go to tho State from a largo and prosperous population. He had become a convert to the freehold tenure as tho result of his travels, and if the. Government could not grant the freehold he asked that the Act be altered as lie had suggested. 1 ‘ —Manuherikia Irrigation.— Air G. Fenwick, vice-pffesident, spoke on the Alanuherikia irrigation scheme. Irrigation, he said, affected the welfare of Central Otago to a very great extent indeed. There was no subject which was of greater interest to Otago people than the progress and, development "of that great area known as Central Otago. They knew of no more important-matter than .that of irrigation. The Government up to the present had done extremely well for them in this matte”. The progress made daring the last year with the Manuhenkia scheme had been all-that'could have been expected. The Mimuherikia irrigation scheme,', he believed, would command. something like 9,000 acres. Many hundreds of acres there were adapted for apple-growing, but they required .water. He asked that an effort be made to place

a sufficient summon the Estimates,to complete the works at the intake of the water and.also in the gorge,- so as,to complete the scheme now in .progress.' . —Railway Extensions.— Mr M. Cohen, speaking of the Law-rcnoa-Roxburgh Railwaysaid that the people of Otago would not- .be, satisfied until-this line was taken to Miller’s Flat.Mr A. Moritzson ■ spoke of the ’ Central Otago and Tugneka Mouth Railways. Tho Central line would be completed in a few months as far as Cromwell, They would like to have a sum placed on the Estimates for a survey right up to H’awea, Tourist blatters And Excursion Tickets.— Mr J. Inglis Wright, speaking of wondrous Wakatipu, said that a guide book was issued by the Otago Expansion League three years ago. The first edition of 5,000 copies had been entirely cleared out, and tho Expansion League now proposed that tho Government should pay half the cost of a second edition. Mr Wright also discussed the needs of the Lumsden-Manapouri-Te Anau road and motor service, pointing out what a valuable asset tourist traffic was in this country, and liow* necessary it was to maintain good communications to tourist resorts. Attention was moat urgently required for tills road, leading as it did to the Milford track, and the Otago and Southland Expansion Leagues had both been co-.operating with a view to 1 getting something done. Among the things suggested as _ desirable, apart from putting the road itself in order, were the abandonment of the present Flaxv Creek-Te Anau road, tho erection of a bridge over the Whitestono River, the best place for which was at the ford on the Flaxy CrcekManapouri road, and more adequate supervision of the motor traffic. The motor cars were insufficient to carry _the tourists. Mr J. Rennie brought forward the question of the extension of railway excursion tickets in respect of tourist resorts. He had been going to Queenstown for many years, and what struck him was the little use which was made of this resort by the Dunedin people and others within easy reach of it. At Christmas time railway tickets were issued to terminate at a certain time, but a better way of popularising this resort would be to extend the date when these tickets would expire. He thought that excursion itekets to Queenstown should be available at any time. —Open-air Gymnasia.—

Mr W. Stuart Wilson urged, the establishment of open-air gymnasia for public schools, and said that a simnlo apparatus could be erected for about £2O. Physical education should be made part of the school curriculum. f WHITE PINE SHORTAGE. ' Mr F. G. Duncan advocated the prohibition of the exportation of white pine, and said that a deputation of saw-mill employees waited on the Acting Prime Minister and- pointed out that in 10 years’ time the supply of white pine would be exhausted. Attempts had been made to find substitutes for this timber, but at present there was such a tremendous exportation of this timber to Australia that the question arose whether they should allow the timber to be exported. Millers said that if the export of white pine was prohibited it would have the effect of throwing out of work 40 per cent, of the men employed in the saw-milling trade, because Australia took the whole Tog, and we confined ourselves to the material suitable for butter boxes. If the supply was short we should • take every precaution to retain for ourselves the remainder of the timber, which was more suitable than anv

other for carrying butter. By the time it was cut out it was hoped that the Government would have found a substitute. MAKING WAR BONDS NEGOTIABLE. Air G. Fenwick {president of the Chamber of Commerce) introduced the question of the Government making war bonds available for the purpose of paying death and succession duties. Parliament would ho asked to sanction a new loan, and it was very desirable that every effort should be made by the Government to liberalise the conditions under which the loan would be issued, so that there would be no doubt of its success. One means of effecting that would bo if the Government made war bonds available for the payment of death or succession duties. The loans issued in England and elsewhere commanded higher rales of interest. SUBURBAN TRAINS. , Air W. Gow (vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce) referring to suburban trains, spoke of the necessity of running a late train on Friday night in place of the two trains that were at present running on Saturday night. He had been told that since the curtailment of the service the Railway Department had released only 150 men for active service. It seemed quite unreasonable that the railway service should be so. disorganised for the sake of 150 men; Air F. W. Alitchell said that they- were simply asking for a late train on Friday night. MAIN ARTERIAL ROADS. Mr A. E. Ansell (Otago Motor Club) urged the necessity for radical change in the system under which our main roads wore maintained. Motorists were quite prepared to pay their share for good raids. A TOWN PLANNING BILL. Air J. L. Salmond (president of the Dunedin Amenities and Town Planning Society) said they wanted a Town Planning Bill for the whole of New Zealand. Such an Act was in force at Home. What they wanted here was an Act passed giving powers to the City Council or a committee of men who understood tho position, and asking that certain areas surrounding the cities should be set apart as town-planning areas. He emphasised the necessity for keeping the large cities of the Dominion clean, and asked that further Government inspectors should be appointed to carry out work of this nature. The Government’s scheme for tho provision of workers’ homes had not proved satisfactory. They wore occupied, bv well-to-do artisans. Thev wanted homes at a rental of Bs, 10s, and 12s a week. CENSORSHIP OF PICTURE SHOWS. Air W. Davidson, on behalf of the Head Masters’ Association, brought up the question of a stricter censorship ot picture chows. They considered that children were suffering physically, mentally, and morally from tho want of a proper censorship not only of picture films, but of porters, and also of advertisements that appeared in some papers. They asked that a hoard of ceneors bo appointed—two men and one woman. They did not think that pictures were bad for children They .were good if used in tho right'Avay. EXCESS PROFITS TAX OX GOLD. Mr H. F. Nees, on behalf of the Otago and Southland Gold Alinevs* Association, dealt with the excess profits tax as it affected gold mining companies. He described tho present method of taxing tho industry, which he stated really amounted to the taxation of tho companies upon the realisation of their assets. He stated that an excess profits tax as applied to gold was an anomaly, for the reason that gold was the standard of value. Everything required in connection with the carrying on of tho industry had increased enormously in price, and yet gold remained the same. Therefore, it was impossible that any excess profit could arise. Tho incidence of tho tax was also bad, and meant tliat companies .which just came to profit after, perhaps, years of struggling, had to suffer. The industry was now suffering severely by the wav, and if anything were dono it should be in the way of giving assistance, and not making their task more difficult. SECOND DIVISION. Mr W. R. Brugh (president of the Second Division League) brought up the claims of the Second Division, and said that a very good eiriticism on the mqttor had appeared in the ‘Ey oping Star.’ The granting of £2 a week by the State was a pernicious thing, as it bolstered up the rich man at the expense of the poor man. He predicted that tills money would never be paid to any man, and why should the Government hold out_ this promise when it did not intend to fulfil it What they wanted was.a fair, thing, and they wanted it as of right This money should not be given, but should bo advanced os a loan.

- The meeting then went into committee to hear the. members of -Parliament on the requests that had been brought before them. Their replies were generally of a sympathetic nature.