IRONSAND LANDS

Northern Advocate, 19 January 1928, Page 6

IRONSAND LANDS

DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS SUBJECT MATTER THRASHED OUT EXPERIMENTS TO BE TRIED. (Special to “Northern Advocate.”) OHAEAWAI, This Day. , Eor 13' years and probably longer people, who know North Auckland, have been advocating that the Government should do something with the tens of .thousands of .acres of ironsand country in the Kapiro block in the Bay of Islands -County and round about Waipapa. Two years ago, the Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister of Lands, came up here and had a look at the block, but would not give any indication of what he thought of the problem. Since that time certain investigations have been made and yesterday Mr McLeod met the Hon. O. ,J. Hawken, Minister of Agriculture, on the spot and a decision was arrived at. ; In answer to a large influential deputation, which met both Ministers and their departmental heads at Waipapa, the Hon. O. J. Hawken said: “Well, I think it would be as well to go ahead, experiment, and have a real go at it.” The Minister of Lands: “That’s right.” | Previous to this decision being ar-] rived at members of the deputation, | who had knofon the lands in question, for ten years and over, told the Ministers what they personally had done. These men were perfectly satisfied that all the lands on the plains, consisting of Siprae tens of thousands of acres, were worth tackling from a productive point of view. It was stated that in certain parts the grass had been down for ten years and had shown no sign of going back and, in some instances where men had tried the Waipapa gum lands, they lad proved their experiments most successful. If’the Government was not satisfied to -take the experience of those men let the Agricultural Department experiment with the ironsand lands and find out for itself how the country could be brought in, what it would cost and all other particulars so that, if it proved a success, men could take up the land knowing what they had to face. Other settlers emphatically assured the (Ministers that the land they had spoken of -was not of the class to be taken up by a small settler. One must have money to -work it and enough finance at his back to go on working and improving. Oh the other hand, some settlers were just as emphatic that it could be successfully worked in small areas.

Hr McLeod asked, if the land was brdtfglit in, what was it considered it could t>e used for?

'He received the reply; “ Sheep alone.”

It, was reckoned that it would carry one sheep to the acre and 4f topdressed, "''slightly better returns, perhaps a sheep and a half per acre.

Hr McLeod; “What would it cost to bring iihjup to a sheep per acre, without top-dressing f’ ’

A Deputatipnist: “You would have to take the average over many years, probably from £7 to £9 per acre.” Mr McLeod; “If it costs £7, £8 or £9, with the cost of fencing and buildings in addition, in order to carry a sheep to the acre, then it is not worth it.”!

He went on to say that was Just the point the Government was worrying about. What could the land be brought up to and cost?

Mrl.Hawken: “The land here is too pliable and that is fatal to cows. It is purely sheep country.”

The Minister of Lands said he would bo content to throw at open for occupation with the right of tho freehold, provided it was taken up strictly under the terms of the Act of last year.

Mr Ha wken; “Is there\any man who will take it up. That is the point.”

Mr McLeod then added that if there were men in the district willing to take the risk and expend their own money, he would consider the question.

Ai this stage Minister of Agriculture went on to remark that he and his Department would have to be guided by past experience in throwing any lands open for settlement.

u lt is a crying shame to put a man on poor land if he had not the capital to Wjpgji: it. On some of the land men had been put oh, 30. years ago, they would have been better off in gaol. There, at least, those men would have been better 3 fed, better clothed and better housed. If, after the Government’s experience in the past, we take these risks again, then we must take the responsibility and that we do not intend to do.”

Mr .Hawken went on to say that, may be, the ironsand country .would have to come back into forestry, for which, in his opinion, it was most excellently suited, but there again, the Government had plenty of land for that purpose.

Mr McLeod said the size of the Lands Department’s block was 10,000 acres and there wore thousands of acres of similar land, privately owned, in the vicinity and not worked.

Subsequently, it was explained that the Lands Department had agreed to hand over 1000 aeres to the Agricultural Department on which small plots would be experimented upon by the Pield Officers. It could then be definitely ascertained how itlie land could be treated to the best advantage and

the actual cost of bringing it in, per acre, ascertained. In view of the decision arrived at, the report of Mr J. B. Thompson, Under-Secretary of Lands, presented to Parliament in 1927 regarding the settlement of Crown lands, makes interesting reading. It is stated therein: “Blocks of typically poor pumice, south of Auckland and clay lands North of Auckland, are being prepared for disposal under the provisions of the Land Act, regulating the disposal of inferior lands under the provisions of last year’s legislation and the result of the offering of these blocks will be. awaited with considerable in-terest.-Advances will be made to selectors of these sections, but the Act briefly provides for the issue of a license for a term of ten years, with restrictions on size of the sections that can be selected. No license can be transferred, unless with permission, whilst the licensee is exempt from the payment of general rates for a period of four years. . The conditions of allotment provide that within six years the licensee shall have laid down in permanent cultivated grasses and clovers not less than half of his area and have placed upon the land substantial improvements of a permanent character to a total value of not less than 30s per acre. All areas brought under cultivation have to he maintained in good order and no improvements can be affected until approved by the Land Board. Provided that, if the licensee i resides on the land the improvements required are reduced by one half and, after six years, on completion of the prescribed improvements, a Crown grant is issued over, the land. ’ ’

ABSORBING UNEMPLOYED.

GUM LANDS PREFERABLE

(Special to “Northern Advocate.”) OHAEAWAI, This Day.

When he was in Auckland during the Christmas holidays, , the Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister of Lands, informed a “Star” representative that the Government had to face the fact that there might be a fairly big overflow of unemployed next winter, and, therefore, any schemes that would absorb a number of men would be valuable. He stated that he was going North, with the Minister of Agriculture, with a view to ascertaining just what possibilities there -were concerning bringing into a state of .productivity portions of the gum lauds of the Far North,

Mr McLeod inspected portions of those lands at Keri Keri and Waipapa when he was there yesterday. He stated that the preliminary work would be in the nature of clearing and cutting gorse and scrub on the land. The Ministers and their departmental heads went into the matter on the spot, but the .Minister of Lands did not give any further indications of his ideas concerning his previous proposals. It is claimed by settlers tip this way that no good can be served by putting unemployed men on ironsand country, but they could certainly be utilised with advantage on gum lands, as, for instance, at Waipapa, whore there are several thousands of acres, some small areas of which have already been brought in by private enterprise. If the land was cleared, it is contended, and made appreciably better for men wanting to go on the land, then per-, haps there would be a greater incentive for settlers to take up gum land and other kinds, and make them an asset, producing something instead of .lying idle. -,