High Country Runholders Facing Disaster, Says M.P. for Waimate

Evening Star, Issue 26184, 20 August 1947, Page 6

High Country Runholders Facing Disaster, Says M.P. for Waimate

(Special.) WELLINGTON, August 20. “ Disaster is facing the high country runholders of the South Island,” declared Mr D. Kidd (Nat., Waimate) in the House of Representatives last night. He predicted that, unless they were promptly helped to overcome their problems the country would lose-the experience of these men and they could not be replaced. The House spent the whole evening discussing the problems of high country ruttholders.. This appears-an odd subject for a debate on the Imprest Supply Bill, but the probable reason is that more varied topics are being reserved for the financial debate next week.

\jr Kidd said that mistakes‘in the administration of Crown lands of the back country were made by many Governments. After the first world war holdings were subdivided by people who had no real knowledge of the country, with the result that insufficient summer country, was provided to balance the hill pasture. Many of these runholders depended entirely on their wool production, and under the appraisal system there was not sufficient disparity between the fine wools produced in high country and the coarser wools from sheep which also produced roturnk from meat. Mr Kidd contended that the Royal Commission to investigate the position of the pastoralist had been set up years too late. He would like the Minister of Lands to meet runholders t who had been denied revaluation, though their rents were too high and, in some cases, should be halved. Mr J. K. McAlpine (Nat., Selwyn) said die could not recall a single instance of a high-country station in the South Island which, having been abandoned for economic reasons, had ever

been put into 5 production again. - “If this country wants to maintain its difficult high country it will have to seriously consider making that country available to those people who will take it over rent free,” he said. ; The Minister of Works, Mr Semple, stressed the seriousness of the effects of erosion, and reviewed Government’s efforts to cope with the problem. He mentioned the Molesworth run as a typical example of bad farming. mixed with greed. Mr W. H. Gillespie (Nat., Hurunui) : That is not quite fair. ! The Minister retorted that it was nothing but greed to overstock land. Mr Semple contended that in many instances erosion was due to destruction of the bush. “ They destroyed virgin bush in an endeavour to farm land that would not feed a bandicoot,” he declared. Mr R. G. Gerard (Nat., Ashburton) suggested that, because of the arduous conditions in the high country, a special remuneration should be given for workers there to encourage nigh■country men to resist the call of the easier conditions of the’ towns. .