LAND PURCHASES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 42, 20 January 1931, Page 2

LAND PURCHASES

SETTLEMENT SCHEME,

GOVERNMENT’S POLICY.

Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Jan. 19. “I am pleased to \be able to announce,” said the acting-Prime Minister, Hon. E.- A. Ransom, to-day, “that the Government has now oompleted negotiations for the acquisition of tho Troutbeck Block in the Bay of Plenty, known as Galatea Station. The block consists of a little over 22,000 acres of land suitable for dairying purposes, and when ready for selection will provide approximately 120 holdings. Having in view tho possibilities of this property as the nucleus for a practical farming settlement, tho Government has for some months subjected this particular proposition to a series of investigations not only with regard to its value from a settlement point of view, but also with the intention of providing, through its acquisition and subsequent development, considerable employment on road-making, fencing and general developmental work. Tho purchase of this promising Clock at a reasonable figure is naturally a cause of satisfaction to the Government, and is an evidence of its activities, following as it does on other schemes, the particulars of which were recently announced. “Although possession is not given until March 31, 1932, arrangements have been made with the vendor which will enable the Government to proceed with both access and internal roading and to carry out certaiq. development. Tho roading work is proceeding immediately and already 200 men have been detailed for employment. “Galatea station, or the Troutbeck Estate as it is commonly called, has the great range of the Urewera country as its eastern boundary, with tho Whirinaki River as its southern and the Rangitaiki River its western boundary. These are three boundaries provided by nature and acknowledged in the original surveys for the station. On the fourth side—tho northern—tho boundary is a straight fence which runs across level country from To Kopua to Te Uru Trig. The area secured is approximately, nine miles long and four miles, wide. “The centre of the estate lies about 50 miles south-east of tho Rotorua railway station, via tho Waikaremoana Road. From the estate to tho Edgecumbo railway station, 13 miles from Taneatua on the Tau-ranga-Taneatua line, the distance is only 34 miles, in a northerly direction, via the Te. Teko-Galatea Road. The distance from Auckland via Rotorua is about 220 miles, or via Edgecumbe about 260 miles. _ _ . “The main electricity transmission lines from Waikaremoana run past Nho block to connect with tho Bay of Plenty supply, so that electrical light and power will be easily available to assist settlement and farming' operations. The altitude varies from 600 to 650 feet above the sea level and the contour of the country, excepting in tho south-eastern corner, is mostly level, although sub-divided into terraces. The estate is splendidly watered by streams, and where subdivision would require it, reticulation to certain farms caff be secured by easy boring. , , , “In general tho lands can be best described .as being similar to those in the vicinity of Matamata. Tho whole of the land will respond readily to reasonable farming methods and‘will consolidate fairly rapidly. The general formation of the land varies from rich river flats and. good-drain-ed swamps to ’ pumice of varying quality. With the exception of about 600 acres of steep hill country tho whole area can be utilised profitably for dairying.’ Sir Apirana Ngata, Minister of Native Affairs, who has a personal knowledge ot tho country says: “I seo in this acquisition a thoroughly . sound investment for tho State and it has the advantage that it will supply a great deal of useful productive employment to many types of people. Much immediate employment will be found in tho work of roading, fencing and general development of tho block, which is within two hours’ motor drive of Rotorua, and will bo only about an hour from To Toko when tho necessary road access has been made. The new farming centre created will also call for a post office, a school, dairy factory and other amenities of civilisation, and it should bo able to support tho usual stores and local vities associated .with a country town. In this connection Mr Ransom remarked that tho plan of subdivision would mako duo provision for tho necessary township and amenity sites. He also cited the following extracts from the report of the special committee which carried out the investigations : “YVe arc convinced that if properly selected and farmed within two years from dato of selection tho estate will bo carrying 2000 dairy cows, that within four or five years it can bo developed to a carrying capacity of 5000 dairy cows, which can ultimately bo increased to 1(1,000 cows, producing an annual revenue of £IOO,OOO. And, again, wo do not know of any area that offers tho same scope for concentrated and successful settlement as does this block. At the present timo in its partly developed state tho land is carrying a total of about 18,000 sheep, 640 breeding cows, 500 twoyear cattlo, 500 yearling cattle and 30 horses.”

“Tho present access to tho new settlement area is from Rotorua, via Waiotapu and tho ICaingaroa Plains, by a car road which crosses tho Rangitaiki over a bridge near the northern boundary of tho Galatea station,” Mr Ransom said. “The work of providing a bridge across the Whirinaki is still to bo put in hand. Tho natural outlet from Galatea is, however, along tho route of tho Rangitaiki Valley to Edgecumbe, as tho natural community of interest to tho whole district in this area is with tho Bay of Plenty via To Tcko and Edgecumbo. Along this route, too, eventually must bo transported tho vast quantities of indigenous timber which the routo taps as well as tho prospective production from"* large areas of exotic timber.

“The Government is putting in hand the necessary work upon Te Toko-Galatea road in order to mako this access available in all weathers, and is also in the meantime making improvements to the road in tho direction of Rotorua as are immediately necessary. It should be noted that Te Toko-Galatea road is important also as providing a connecting Jink in what constitutes a shorter routo between Napier and the Bay of Plenty.” Commenting further, 0 Mr Ransom said that it was along lines such as this that the Government iooked for an ultimate solution of tho unemployment problem, bocause land settlement created continuous productive works, while public works generally, such as road or railway building, could not be regarded as continuous, and only occasionally were these works directly productive, while many of the schemes for meeting the emergencies of unemployment were necessarily neither continuous nor productive. “One groat, advantage to bo derived from further land settlement,” continued Mr Ransom, ‘‘is that any additional production will not depress the market, as the prices of New Zealand’s primary products are ruled by world-market conditions, in which Now Zealand’s share is not a ruling factor, while additional production for export is,, tho best possible means by which the financial position of the Dominion can be still further improved. Summarised, the settlement now to he opened will: “1. Help to provide suitable selectors with good farms. “2. Give road-making and developmental employment to about 500 men. “3. Create a demand for large quantities of fencing material and for the labour necessary in connection therewith.

“4. Provide a handy market for timber from State forests in the vicinity. “5. Ultimately, both directly and indirectly, provide permanent employment for some hundreds of people. “6. Lead to further closer settlement of about 10,000 acres in adjacent areas.”

HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS.

WELLINGTON, Jan. 19.

Galatea Station has associations with the pioneering in New Zealand, and is best remembered as an armed constabulary post. It waa from here that some of the operations against Te Kooti were conducted. During the campaign against the Hau Hau leader, Captain Travers and five men lost their lives in the engagement that took place at Ruatahuna. Many years later Galatea and. Ruatahuna served as halting places for the party which went into the Urewera with a warrant for the arrest of Rua, an expedition that culminated in the shooting

of one of Rua’s sons and the wounding of two constables and some of the prophet’s followers.

Tho Galatea redoubt was 60 feet square, with two flanking tingles, the wholo being built of sods. The parapet was 6ft 6in in height, and 6ft wide, with a ditch 12ft broad, and 6ft deep. The soil at that part is loose pumice sand, so that the ditch had to be sodded up. Around the ditch was a strong palisade. Barracks were built inside the redoubt, and wero petitioned off into compartments. The orderly room measured 10ft by 14ft, and the store and the guardroom the same 6ize, with a reading room 20ft by 14ft. Outside the redoubt a house was erected to serve as officers’ quarters. The site of the old fort is one of the jxiints of interest for tourists visiting the Urewera Country.