CROMWELL’S FUTURE.

Evening Star, Issue 19924, 21 July 1928, Page 6

CROMWELL’S FUTURE.

A petition is being circulated in Dunedin praying the Government to acquire the Cromwell Development undertaking in toto. The idea is to obtain the backing of the people of Otago to a request that the Cromwell people have already made to the committee, under the chairmanship of Mr M‘Keuzie, which has for some months been investigating irrigation matters in Central Otago. At first the committee replied than its scope did not extend beyond Government schemes. But the pressure for 'investigation of this private scheme was not relaxed, and it was reinforced by an offer on behalf of the company to sell out to the Government. Very sensibly the Government decided to utilise the opportunity for an investigation which had to come sooner or later, and instructed the committee to find out the facts and presumably embody in its report a recommendation as to the future of this particular scheme. The imminence of the presentation of that report makes it inadvisable, if not actually discourteous to the committee, to go at any length into the history of the Cromwell Development Company. But it may not be out of place to bring forward a few reasons why the petition deserves backing by those who have the welfare of Otago at heart.

Land settlement is a function of the Government in this country, but it is not a Government monopoly. .As long as real development, and not sheer speculation, is the motive, the efforts of private enterprise to put more people on the land with reasonable prospects of success should be encouraged. Particularly is this tho case' at a time like the present when the Government has to confess that shortage of money has compelled it to mark time in tho acquisition and subdivision of estates. Jut it is surely time for the Govern-

ment to step in when the complaint is made that, on balance, the result of a private enterprise of this kind is holding up the progress of a district instead of furthering it. And unfortunately that is the state of affairs rcilected in the text of the petition. There lias been a certain amount of settlement on the freehold land included in the company’s assets, devoted to intensive culture. But for the most part it has not been prosperous settlement, and a crisis has developed which makes its permanence doubtful. Much larger areas of leasehold land held by the company are idle or in a state of imperfect development. And all the time symptoms of land hunger among the local people are becoming acute. It may be claimed that there is no obligation on the Government to take over a liability of this nature, or to repair and keep in working order a machine from which its former owner has failed to get satisfactory results. But in this case some moral responsibility does attach to the Government. In return for concessions, particularly in the matter of water rights, the Dovolopmeiit Company undertook certain obligations in the provision of water for the land. If these undertakings have not been fulfilled, it is for the Government to explain why it did not insist long ago that they should be. It will (we presume) be for the Committee of Inquiry Into Irrigation to set forth exactly the present position, also haw the economic aspect would appear if the scheme as originally set forth were carried to completion. It is no secret that as a result of the committee’s work vastly improved prospects for Government irrigation settlements in Central Otago are expected, and it would bo a most serious omission, if one scheme were left to languish and the hopes of a whole district dashed. The committee’s big task lias been bo pub irrigation matters on a sound economic basis, and the experience it has gained should enable it to indicate to the Government the terms on which resumption of the Croimvell Development Company’s assets might he effected with fairness to all concerned. With a safeguard such as this, there should lie no hesitation on the part of citizens m signing the petition. There is reason to believe that the Otago Expansion League will presently give a icad in the matter.