RAILWAY TO TAUPO

Matamata Record, Volume III, Issue 201, 18 November 1920, Page 1

RAILWAY TO TAUPO

A WIDESPREAD DESIRE

In continuance of its investigations, the Commission which is inquiring into the question of whether .the Government should acquire the tramway and timber rights of the Taupo Total a Timber Company, and, if it did, whether it should extend the line to Taupo, the Commission stayed at Wairakci, on the route of the proposed extension of the line. Here they were shown the wonderful Geyser Valley, the Blowhole, etc., tourist attractions which the extension would serve. On Monday the Commission sat at the Courthouse, Taupo, which was well filled on the occasion with Europeans and natives interested. TAUPO WANTS A RAILWAY. Mr Walter E. Pearson, settler, and a former resident of Taupo, deposed that he knew the country that would be served by the proposed extension of the Taupo Totara Timber Company’s line. Ho was employed on sheep station work there in the eighties. The station carried 20,000 sheep but owing to legislation preventing a renewal of the native lease of the property being obtained, the station had to be abandoned, the sheep being driven to Hawke’s Bay. Despite the fact that communication had improved and the prices for fat sheep and wool increased, the district had gone back, and he thought the reason for this was the Government preventing Europeans dealing privately with the natives for frhe lease or freehold of their lands. Also, better means of communication were wanted. When broken in the land would carry about one sheep to two acres. The winters were rather severe at Taupo, but the climate there was very healthy. Around Lake Taupo, particularly at Western Bay, there was much good land, that would grow anything. A great deal of the land had been carrying heavy timber, which, however, had been mostly burnt oft' the flats. There was still good milling timber on hillsides and hilltops there. The timber was principally at the Tokaanu end of the lake; there was none at the Taupo end. He had not heard of any proposal for a railway from the Main Trunk line to tap this timber. If the Government removed the restrictions on private dealing with the natives for their land, and gave good communication to the district, hundreds of people would take up land here. In reply to a commissioner, Mr. Pearson said that hoggets, but not matured sheep or young lambs, die 1 through eating a weed in the swampy on the station, but this did not cause the abandonment of the place. In reply to Mr. Vaile, this witness said the packs of wild dogs there were also not the cause of much loss, as the dogs killed wild cattle and wild pigs for food.

The Rev. Mr. Fletcher, of Taupo, said the land.there was excellently adapted to the growing of root crops. For instance, he had got parsnips there 41b. in weight. For these he had used only stable manure with the earth. Manure was required for farming there, and the turnips that could be grown on a large scale with manure could bo used to feed sheep and cattle. Some manure he had got from Auckland cost £4 10s per ton, and another £6 in freight to get it from Auckland to Taupo, ■ via the usual route, namely, the T.T.T. line as far as Oruanui, and thence by waggon to Taupo, 17 miles. There was a large tourist traffic to and from Taupo, where there was excellent trout fishing. On one ordinary occasion, before the war, he and another person had counted 250 visitors in the town. A sheep station 25 miles from Taupo would benefit by a railway to Taupo, despite its distance away. Mr. Samuel Crowthcr, hotel manager, Taupo, said he had first come to the district in the Armed Constabulary, and had been been closely connected with it ever since. The district had gone back. At one time, in the early days, there had been sheep all around the Western Bay of the lake, but in those days, with the long cart to get Roods and take produce out, and with wool bringing only 4d per lb., sheep farming there had proved a failure, but with the present prices for fat sheep and wool, this form of fanning should flourish, provided the settlers could get the land, and could get a cheap means of transport. From a railhead at Taupo, manure, etc., could be distributed by boat across the lake. On the east side of the lake as well as the western side there were

THE EXTENSION PROPOSAL

stretches of good farming land and good milling timber. Moreover, there was the tourist attractions of the district in scenery, hot springs, etc. A question by Mr. Dalziell elicited the opinion from Mr. Crowthcr that about a third of the land referred to by him was ploughable. Observations on the producing qualities of the Taupo district soils were given by Mr. T. H. Glass, gardener, of Taupo. He said the. soil there gave good results in root crops, such as potatoes, etc., while it also grew good crops of clover, oats, etc. The land really required as much green manure, in the form of these crops ploughed in, as artificial manure. The soil at Tokaanu was heavier than that at Taupo. Behind Mokai there was good bush land and open country, thousands of acres of it, all suitable for pasture. Tn regard to tourist traffic, Mr. Glass intimated that there was a fairly regular traffic between Napier and Taupo and Rotorua and Taupo.

ASSISTANCE FROM THE MAORIS. Pitiroi Mohi, as the spokesman for the Maori owners of land that would be served by the extension of the railway, stated that conjointly with other natives, lie was an owner in land stretching from Mokai to Taupo. The natives were prepared to give, free of charge, any of their land required for the extension. He could not say whether the extension would enhance the value of their land; but they were prepared to give the required land for the lino as their contribution towards •the cost. A commissioner: But it goes through their land for only a short distance. For timber on their land the natives were getting 2s per 100 ft. royalty from millers at Oruanui, between Mokai and Wairakci, continued Pitiroa. In reply to the president, he. admitted that the extension would help the natives to get a good royalty for their more distant timber. The president asked, did he think it fair that Is per acre, as provided for by an Act of Parliament, should bo charged on land benefited by the railway. The native replied that he. supposed that rather than pay this the natives would have to do without the railway. The land owned by the natives lie represented was about 65,000 acres. In reply to Mr. Vaile, Pitiroi said that if their land would be very much benefited by the. railway, they would probably agree to pay the Is per acre for it, but he could not be definite about this. Tcncroi tc Tini f of Marten, and formerly of Mokai, deposed that he was part owner of blocks other than those in which the previous witness was interested. Some of the land in which he himself was interested lay along the Mokai end of the line. Also, lie had other land on the oast side of Lake Taupo, one block of which was stated to contain about 100,000,000 ft. of timber. He thought the average of Is per acre, on the land benefited by the railway extension would be a fair contribution towards the cost thereof. The Oruanui natives had held a meeting, and also decided to pay Is per acre provided the railway went through their land, and in his opinion the majority of'the Maori owners concerned in land that would be affected would be agreeable to pay this amount Of course, a condition would be that the freight rates should not be higher than those charged by the Government. Mr. Sidney Robert Palmer, sawliler, of Ouranui, on the route of the proposed extension, presented a statement, emphasising the necessity for cheap freights for manures for developing the country around Taupo. He also referred to the large quantity of timber on Crown and other land in the district, which timber, he stated, would be rendered available by the extension. The Railway Department had purchased an area of timber alow the line to supply timber for itself. He considered that it the Government did not take over the lino, it should at least subsidise the T.T.T. Company to allow it to reduce its freights to Government rates, for manures, etc. He had been refused trucks by the T.T.T. Company for timber which lie wished to send to Putaruru. In reply to Mr. Vaile, Mr. Palmer stated that lie thought the expendi(Continued on Page 4).

turn of £1,000,000 by (lie Government to l:-ing tlie line up to Government standard would lie warranted in view of the country that would be developed as a result. At present there were too few settlers on the land concerned to purchase the line and control it for themselves per medium of a local board. If the freights were reduced the line would be used more. About half of the country concerned by the line and its proposed extension could be used for pasture land, and about half for tree-planting. Mr. T. S, Simpson, motor carrier, Taupo, said all the goods, etc., for Taupo came over the T.T.T. line to Oruanui whence they wore carried to Taupo by motor-lorry. Ho bad throe motor trucks engaged in this work, and the work of transporting timber from the Oruanui mill. The freight on goods from Putaruru to Oruanui was £2 17s fid per ton in ton lots, and 2s fid per cwt. in lots up to five cwt. The freight on benzine was double the ordinary freight. THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF GOOD LAND.

A farmer residing at Fukawa, near Tokaanu, Mr J. W. Cullen said lie was engaged in breaking in 300 acres at Pukawa, and knew the land round the southern end of the lake very well. He represented the people there. In that area there were large tracts of rich deep soil. Oats grown there without manure gave a return which, when cut into chaff, amounted to about two lon per acre. A dairy factory had just been completed at Waihi, two miles from Tokaanu, there being about .10,000 acres in that district fit for dairying. A railway to Taupo would he a great advantage to the settlers in his district, giving them a quick and method of sending their produce BfflWwfliii.lrct and of getting their rcciuiromohtS was not essential to that country, tliouglwit would he an advntagc. All the goods for that district came over the T.T.T. lino. Round the lake the Crown had approximately half-a-million acres of land, and was negotiating for more at present; and thus, in its own interests, it should take over the T.T.T. line. Much of this half-million acres was ploughablc, and other portions were covered by good timber. In one place within two miles of the lake there was a bush estimated by a Forestry Department expert to contain RO.OOOft. of millahle totara to the acre. In one place tlie timber hush came right down to the edge of the lake, 'fhe Tongariro Timber Company’s proposal to construct a line from the Main Trunk to near Tokaanu did not seem as if it would come to fruition. It had been deferred from time to time, and now shareholders in the company informed him that the company could not get enough money to carry it out. A motor service was run from Tokaanu to Waimarino, but the road was very rough. Other products from the land round the lake wore \\ 00l and flax fibre, ’t hero were about 1 5,000 sheep round the lake, owned by natives and others. These flocks thrived quite well. In reply to questions, Mr. Cullen Stated that if the T.T.T. line wove extended to Taupo as a light lino, it should moot the requirements for some time lo come. This ended the Taupo sittings.

AROUND THE LAKE. Tuesday of last week was spent in a launch trip round the lake. The western shore was closely inspected, and Mr. Cullen pointed out the long stretches of timber hush on the hills standing back from the shore. A picnic lunch was partaken of on the beach, after which the party proceeded to Waihi, where they inspected the dairy factory, and thence to Tokaanu. From here they returned direct to Taupo. The following day the return trip to Rotorua, by motor, was made the party stopping on route to view the Aratiatia Rapids, near Wairakei. Also, they were entertained to luncheon en route by Mr Vaile at his homestead at Waiotapu, where they were afterwards shown over the 1000 acres comprising the cultivated portion of his farm there. THE RAILWAY RETURNS. On the following day the Commission held a sitting at Rotorua. Mr H. B. Coupe, the general manager of the Taupo Totara Timber Company, advised that the Ordcr-in-Council for the line he dispensed with and the timber business only retained by the company. The railway was not profitable, although the timber business was. Mr Dalziell explained that ,000,000,000 feet of timber was in the Tongariro bush, and 400,000,000 mentioned by Mr Coupe. Most of the hush outside that owned by the company was owned by the Crown. Mr Coupe went on to say that there was about 455,000,000 feet of timber that would he served by the line if it were extended to Taupo. Tlie company’s line at present was five miles from Lake Taupo. The company’s rates were 33 per cent above those charged by the Government. A lowering of tlie rates would be disastrous. Tt would not be practicable to haul private goods on private trucks. Witness did not consider the suggestion that the Government should take over the first 1!) miles of the lino as practicable on account of the expenses to both sides of the termini. The cost of the company’s Putaruru yard had been £(10,000. Eighty-five per cent of the company’s timber was delivered within fifty miles of Putaruru. The rates charged by the company did not form the greatest consideration to the; settlers. What they were cjiiefly concerned about was the permanency of the line. The equitable way of gauging the cost of carriage by the company’s line was to compare it with the cost of carting by road, not with the Government rates. The tipiber at Taupo'would take 45 years to cut out. There was no fear of the company taking up the rails and selling them. Witness said ten additional trucks were being procured, and of these five would bn devoted to the settlers’ needs. Witness quoted figures showing there was a very large margin between revenue and expenses in connection with the working of the line. The output of tlie mill was 520,000 ft. per month. The company could deal with the present traffic by running four and a-lialf days per week. There was no Intention to remove the mill at present. In answer to Mr. Vaile, Mr. Coupe said the company could not carry timber at a profit at less than 4s (id per 100 ft. 'Phe company owned one-third of the shares in (lie Mokai stores. The company had offered to carry Mr. Palmer's timber at Os pci' 100 ft. considerably above the price fixed in the Order-in-Council. Mr. Coupe said he thought it would he in the interests of the country for the Government to

acquire the company’s tram line as a going concern. The Government could run it as profitably as the company. If they bought the line they should l,uv the timber on the native lands. Mr. G. O. Bailey, sheep farmer, le Awamutu, a director of the T.T.T. Co. since 1002, said he had often been through to Mokai. The country was lighter than that of To Awamutu, and easily ploughed. At first he did not like ‘the land, hut latterly, had had occasion to alter Ins opinion after inspooling Mr. property, and had seen the grass and turnips produced. Ho explained how the unplougiiable country could he dealt with to advantage. There would he 40 or 50 per cent unnlougliablo. He would divide the land into farms containing 200 acres of unploughablc with 200 acres of hill country.

FURTHER CROWN EVIDENCE. A sitting of the Commission was hold on Monday last at the office of tlie Commissioner of Crown Lands, i Auckland, the Commissioner, Mr. H. M. Skoet, giving evidence in addition to that given by him at Putaruru. He supplied maps, etc., giving particulars of the timber land affected by the railway and its proposed extension to Taupo. He stated that the success of settlement in the Putaruru-Taupo district depended on the price of the land; it must ho cheap if settlement was to he successful. At present the land there was mostly held in large areas, small portions of which had been improved, while the owners had the unimproved on the market at comparatively high prices. He read the Act of 1010, giving land boards power to have any country under their jurisdiction considered unsuitable for settlement in the ordinary way settled under special circumstances, namely, lotting it without rent to people willing to settle on it, financing them to improve it, and on their carrying out certain improvements, etc.,- such as the erection of a house, giving llicm (lie fee simple of the land without charge after seven years. The Act provided that the money lent to such settlers should he repaid"with interest, hut that the land for the first few years should ho exempted from rates. Tlidw£fttWjmdXand Board, continued Mr. Skcetrpff^g|pl‘ to apply this Act to areas of lignWWffiftry in the Puta-ruru-Taupo district. He anticipated that there would be a big demand for the land to he settled under that .scheme, hut success would depend on the individual settler himself. Asked by the president whether the route considered best by him (Mr. Skoet) for a permanent line from Putaruru to Taupo, namely from Putaruru to Kopokaralii, thence to Atiamuri, and thence along the Waikato River to Taupo, was lonccr than via the T.T.T. line to Taupo, Mr Skoet said it was sliirhtly lonccr, but would avoid a great deal of hill-climbing. In reply to another question, ho said ho was strongly of opinion that the outlet fov the timber along the western side of Lake Taupo was to the Main Trunk line, not across the lake to connect with the T.T.T. line. Cattle on the land between Kopokaralii and Taupo were not affected by bush sickness. Portion of an education reserve of 17,000 acres on the T.T.T. line had been roaded and offered for settlement by discharged soldiers, hut no applications for any of the sections had been received.

Mr. A. B. Jordan, of To TCuiti, supervisor of soldier settlements, said lie knew the district affected by the. T.T.T lino. During the past IS years there had been a good deal of progress in settlement at Putaruru and Tokoroa. Tlie land round Putaruru contained pumice, hut as time passed, the pumice in it seemed to decompose. Mr. Jordan also gave further evidence as to the quality, etc., of the country along the line similar to that given at Mokai by Mr. R. Alexander, stock inspector for the Waikato. Asked, did lie think the expenditure of .£IOO,OOO to extend the line to Taupo would enhance the value of the land .affected by £IOO,OOO, Mr. Alexander said lie certainly considered it would. In further replies he said some of tlie husli between Mokai and Taupo was very heavy timber hush. At a mooting held at Taupo in 1914 tlie native landowners concerned had decided that they would not agree to pay towards the cost of extending the lino. However, lie thought the payment of Is per acre would he fair. The proceedings were then adjourned to 10 a.m. to-day at Wellington.