THE FESCUE MENACE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5148, 6 July 1927, Page 2

THE FESCUE MENACE.

SERIOUS PLAINS PROBLEM. STATE ACTION ESSENTIAL. Land in the Orongo soldier settlement at the northern end of the Hauraki Plains which was purchased by the State for £32 10s an acre and loaded with a huge amount on account of work done in endeavouring to make it fit for soldier settlers h.™ now been reduced in valuation to £5 an acre. Even with these reductions, with remissions of rent and interest . and the wiping <Xit of all arrears* the settlers are unable to carry on and make their farms revenue-producing. Tiie one and only reason is the fierce growth of tall fescue grass.

With such a vivid demonstration of the effects of fescue, with constant exhibitions of the spread td the pest, and frequent reminders of the seriousness of the menace, it would be thought that something would be done by settlers of the Hauraki Plains to avert all chances of the peril taking hold of clean land and ruining it as the Orongo land and settlers have- been ruined. Nothing has been done and there has been no move to do anything. The reason, of course, is the difficulty of learning what, is best to be done. Obviously the first and most important step is to prevent the grass spreading from the Orongo over the rest of fhe Plains and the neighbouring counties, and to that end the Noxious Weeds Act should be amended to permit local bodies to declare tall fescue a noxious weed within their districts. Application for such authority has been -made, on numerous occasions by the Hauraki Plains County Council, but the requests have been regularly declined. The State is responsible for a large area of Orongo, which would be a Herculean task to clear, thus it would be a hardship to apply the Ncixious Weeds Act to that area and futile to do so. for the Act would thus be brought into disrepute. The solution, therefore, would be to declare tall fescue grass a noxious weed in the menaced districts only. A line could be defined, say, along the KopuarahiOrongo Ferry as a start and moved northward, so as not to prejudice the land values, as sections became clean. On the Orongo block itself definite steps should be taken to eradicate the weed. The work should be looked upon not as a means of clearing land for settlement alone, but with the purpose: of removing a very serious menace to the prosperity of a very wide district. The State has spent a huge sum in toying with the problem and settlers have spent much money and labour. At the present moment little benefit is noticeable, and seven settlers are endeavouring to get away to other land. With the departure of these fighters the only resistenee to the spread of the pest will be gone. To clear the Orongo Block sufficiently to make it safe would be such a long and tedious precess that tfek idea has. suggested itself of utilising prison labour. The suggestion of turning the sea in is still adveated as the cheapest and most effective method, and last week when Lands and Survey Department employees were noticed surveying on the block the rumour went round the Plains that this course was to be adopted. Inquiry at Kerepeehi showed that the surveyors were merely collecting data concerning drain depths.