LAND GOING BACK

Evening Star, Issue 20312, 22 October 1929, Page 2

LAND GOING BACK

A WAIROA COMPLAINT FURTHER TAXATION TO CAP INJURY [Per United Press Association.) WAIROA, October 21. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Wairoa Farmers’ Co-operative Meat Company to-day the chairman of directors (Mr J. S. Jessep), a well-known member of the Meat Board and vicepresident of the New Zealand Sheep Farmers’ Federation, stated that the future of the company depended entirely upon the further development of Wairoa County. Probably no county in New Zealand contained a larger area of good to fair and medium undeveloped land. Year after year ho had fruitlessly pressed for -the development and occupation of large areas of Crown and Native lands. One block in particular of close on 30.000 acres was quite good land, and it had now lain for twenty years undeveloped. Thirty years ago the area carried over 30,000 sheep when leased by Europeans from Natives, but it passed back into Native hands. The State purchased between 6,000 and 8,000 acres, the remainder remaining unindividualised Native land. Nothing had been done with the land purchased by the State, and the entire block remained idle, harbouring noxious weeds, and it was going further back every year. The East Coast Railway was being constructed clean through the centre of the block. Apparently the Native owners, who for many years had added nothing to the production of the dominion amd paid no rates or taxes whatever, would benefit from the State undertaking. This was only one instance of many such. It was well known by practical men that much land in the Wairoa district required only to bo broken in from its virgin state. Settlers until recently were entirely isolated, and faced tremendous difficulties through lack of roads and transport facilities. They net only had to pay heavy county rates for the construction of makeshift roads, but also had to carry on their backs a share of the rates that should have been borne by the Native owners. To cap all. it was now proposed to reward them for their efforts by increasing their taxation without amy reference to the fact that there stiff remained large areas of undeveloped lands in the district. The absurdity could go no further than to suggest increased taxation based on an area of laud without any reference whether such land was suitable for subdivision. This legislation had been a very distinct set-back in the matter of development, and certainly was not conducive to the further development and production upon which the prosperity of the entire dominion absolutely depended.