HIKURANGI' NEEDS

Northern Advocate, 22 April 1933, Page 6

HIKURANGI' NEEDS

REQUESTS TO MINISTER j “ I ELIMINATION OF FLOODING. j i LAND FOE UNEMPLOYED. j i The Hon. E. A. Hansom arrived at Hikurangi yesterday afternoon and received deputations at the Town Board office. Mr 1L Nesbitt, chairman of the board, in welcoming the. Minister to the district said that the requests to be made dealt with the flooding of tin* drains near the mmos, the Hikurangi drainage rate, and the acquisition of an area of land for Hit' unemployed. They would ask for assistance to enable them to clean out and deepen the Otonga outlet drain and make a diversion cut as well. The effect of this work would bo to prevent a good deal of flooding in the mines and to give the unemployed useful work In do.

Mr Tatley, mine manager, said tbai subsidences had been caused by old workings and the flood waters got into these and percolated into the mine. The pumping plant in the mine would be able to keep the mine unwatevod if the drains responsible for the flooding were deepened. Compensation Question, Mr E, G. MacMorran, drainage engineer, said -that the land through which the diversion cut would be made was peaty and would not hold a stop-bank. He asked if compensation from the owner would be required. It would be necessary to build a bridge over the drains. The chairman said that the men at both 'the urines were only earning £3 a week each and' they could not be expected to contribute anything towards compensation if it were demanded. They wanted -the • Drainage - Department to supervise the work, which would be done by the unemployed. The co.st to the department would be the purchase of tools and the cost of supervising.

To a question by the Minister, ATr ATacAlorran said the proposed Avork would not benefit the general drainage scheme to any extent. He did not think the diversion cut asked for would prevent flooding.

Mr Tatley said that the work above the proposed diversion was imperative and .would cost" nothing for explosives. ■ Guarantee Required. The Minister said ho would require some guarantee that the work would be beneficial before he could recommend that it be authorised. The chairman said that 70 men would be available to do. the work.

Mr A, J. Murdoch, M.P., stated that the Government wns interested in one of the mines to the extent of several thousands of pounds. The drainage work would not eliminate the percolation entirely, but would help and would give the men useful Avork to do. He supported the scheme. Air Hansom promised to refer the matter to the Minister concerned if it could be proved that the Avork would be beneficial. THE DRAINAGE RATE. The next deputation dealt with the drainage rate. The chairman said that Avhen notification had boon received that it Avafi proposed to strike a drainage rate, a committee of the settlers concerned AA r as set up to deal Avith the matter. The farmers in the area, as Avcll as in other parts of Noav Zealand, Avore in a bad plight and needed all the consideration that could ho given to thorn. They would emphasise the fact that the drainage scheme at the out-set Avas estimated to cost £OO,OOO and Avould be completed in three years. Up to date it had cost £.11;),000 and was still incomplete. What they in Hikurangi Avoro concerned Avith, said Air Nosbit, was that the unimproA'cd A-aluo AA-as to be the basis for assessing the rate. There Avould be some benefit to the toAA*n, but not A T ery much, and they thought that the unimproved value AA-ould be an unfair basis for assessment. The ATinister asked Avhat basis they would suggest.

The chairman added that, he had a quarter-acre section valued at £7O, but derived no benefit from the drainage. They were going to ask that no drainage rate be struck while they are passing through such difficult times.

Mr Ransom: “Do you suggest that the drainage scheme lias been of no benefit to the. district ?”

The chairman: “No, but that some of the settlers have deribed no benefit from it.” Protest Voiced. . Mr W, Wakeliu, a member of the settlers’ committee, said the purpose of the deputation was to put forward a protest against any additional rating on the land concerned, owing to the financial stress of the present time. It was 13 years since the drainage works began and the scheme was still incomplete. So far lie did not think as much land had been improved through the work as it Avas thought there Avould be. Through the- drains in the upper readies the Avatcr lay longer uoav on the best land. From his experience, lie Avould say that intending land-buy-ers were very much averse from buying land in this area, because they did not know Avbat drainage rates would be levied on it.

Very little of the area had been improved ns a result of the work, Mr Wakeliu continued, tfhe whole urea embraced about 50,000 acres, of which

J 10,000 acres. wore 'good. Many of the i drains, especially those through the ! deep prat, were inadequate and should he widened andrdeppened. * " The present position of the settlers j was that they eould not meet their | ordinary obligations, much less any

additional rating. If the proposed rate were demanded, tire stock firms would have to seriously consider the stopping of advances in the area. Mr Wakelin said he could not sec that there had been much benefit up to the present. The best piece of land was at Ngararatnnua, where he understood a bank advanced up to £4O an acre, hut the owner died and the bank was glad to sell, the land at £l2. Tie felt strongly that. the. time was inopportune to put any further rate on the farmers who were struggling and could not pay. Inequitable Basis. Mr C. Brown said the report from the classifiers had not been received, but ho understood that the basis for. the striking of the rate was to be the unimproved value. If so, it would be inequitable, as the actual swamp land, classed A, carried a very low rate, while that in the higher and drier areas, classed B, carried a much higher rate, which meant that owners of B land would pay a heavier drainage rate than owners of A. In the Eiponui area, Mr Brown addjcl, a. drain 8 feet by 4 feet 6, inches massed through peat 30 feet deep and was inadequate, and the settlers in Ripomri would have to make their own rutlet to derive any benefit from the ’.(•homo. The drainage work stopped ' about half a mile from their boundary. Their land was classified B, with a valuation of about £7, while lower down in the region of the major drainage works the valuation on the land classified A was £3; He considered .•hoy should be rated on value received, rot on unimproved value. • Mr MacMorran said the rate had rot been fixed yet. Mr Brown replied that lie was -only on what one of the classifiers liad told him.’ • AH Astray. Mr .1, Mcßreeh stated that all the estimates of time and money in conloctiou with the scheme had gone I P istray, and the work so far done had nrly caused the water to move faster *■ .Tom the higher levels to the flats. - Last November, all but 30 acres of his' on’s farm of IfiO acre? was covered by.- ' lood water.

The Minister: “Has its carrying" opacity increased ?” :

Mr Mcßrecn admitted that more mtterfat had been taken off the farm •since the drainage had been done/ but prior to that many bullocks were faG vened on it. Four years ago. it carried about, a beast to the acre.

Mr Wakelin: “ The carrying- capjac-r ty of that farm has not increased? as i result of the drainage.” Mr Mcßreen said that, in order to five his son a start, he had asked the Advances to Settlors Department for a ban on this land. This was not very long ago, but the department had fused to lend any money on the freehold of that land. At the same time the department was lending large sums •>f money on other lands. “A Side Issue.”

Afr IT, At. Hushworth, AI.P. for Bay nf Islands, said it ought to be admitted, that the drainage operations had bene-

fited the district from the point of

view of increased production, though not perhaps from revenue derived from It, owing to reduced prices. In his opinion, the question of classification was a side issue at the moment. it' was utterly impossible to load any fm* ther obligations on the farmer at the present time, and the attempt to make and collect the rate would create dis* pair on the one hand and callousness oh the other.

The speaker said he -believed .this argument A\\as unanswerable. If in the future the settlers could pay, well'mid good, hut it was no use considering any other phase of the subject at the moment.

Mr Wakelin, in further explanation of his statement that the carrying capacity of Mr Meßreen’s farm had not improved, said he meant and implied that, owing to the flood water on this land, fanners had to keep higher lands available for their stock. This statement was endorsed by Mr Mcßreen. Very Discouraging. The Minister, in reply, said that it was particularly disappointing and surprising 'to him to hear the statements that had been made about the effect of the drainage scheme. The deputation had tried to convince him that the whole scheme had been a failure. He would remind them that it was only due to the extreme pressure of the settlers that the work was ever started. If this scheme were a failure, it was the only one in Xew Zealand that had not been a success.

A substantial amount of the capital cost of this scheme would be borne by the Government and only a small portion by those who benefited by it, Mr Ransom continued. - The Government was bearing £300,000 worth of the cost of the TTauraki drainage scheme, but* the farmers were now taking that amount of revenue from the drained area: therefore it had proved a good thing nationally. So long as- the- Dominion as a whole benefited from large undertakings such as these drainage works, it was worth while. Confidence Essential. Mr Rush worth: “The settlers are afraid to admit that this scheme has been a success.” ' Mr Ransom: “It would be better for the settlers to place all their cards on the table. If we have not the'•confidence .of each other, negotiations must break down. I have come here to try

to help you, but I feel now Hint 1 will have to look further afield for my information. If I am to believe what i have been told this afternoon, it is a pity the Government ever started the work, and it is evidently a. good Job that it has been stopped. He felt, it very keenly that, in the opinion of the settlers, the department’s work had been useless.” Classification. Continuing, Mr Ransom said that so far no definite statement had been made in regard to the classification, though he understood that the roll had been finished and would be available for inspection shortly. He passed through the Jordan Valley on his way to Hikuraugi and was struck by the number of good, wellkept farms and herds that he saw while passing along the road. He was satisfied in his own mind, from what he saw, that the drainage works had benefited the lower-lying lands. Ho was also pleased to see good fanning methods being employed in the Valley. The Minister did not think it would bo altogether fair to base the drainage rate on the unimproved value. He would like to see the rate made equitable, according to benefit derived. Sharing The Burden. Continuing, Mr Ransom said that Mr Wakelin had asked that no rate be levied under present conditions. This meant that the whole Dominion would have to bear it. “Is this fair?” lie asked. “Who should carry the burden? Those who get the benefit should surely be prepared to pay something for it. If the settlers had derived benefit for the i •> years that the work thad been in progress without paying a rate, they had been fortunate. It would be a good job for them if the work were continued for another 5 years under the same conditions.

“You will say that interest is piling up,” the Minister continued. “That was so, but the hulk of; the debt was being shouldered by the Dominion as a whole. The period ot* time, therefore, that the work had been in progress had been an advantage rather than otherwise, seeing that no rate was collected during that period. 11: the job had been rushed through the settlers would have been paying rates long before this. It had been said that water was lying on the lower levels. If this were so, something was wrong. If prospective buyers were unwilling to buy this land, that was not unusual, as 110 one was wanting to buy land anywhere in the Dominion at the present time. On the other hand everyone wanted to sell. He was sorry to think, as Mr Wakeliu had said, that there had been no benefit at all. It had been stated that it was inopportune to add further taxes to the farmer at present. He was prepared to consider that aspect and how' long they could postpone striking a rate. Mr Brown had stated that the method of rating was inequitable. Right of Appeal. The Minister said the ow T ner hail the right lo appeal, and he would expe.'t them' lo lake advantage of this privilege if they w'ere not satisfied. If anomalies existed, they should lie adjusted. As lo Ihe State Advances not lending money on this laud, he could only say that the department was not lending money at the moment anywhere, because they did not have it to lend. In reply to Mr Rnshworth, the Minister said some of the finest lands in the Dominion 'were those where drainage schemes had been carried out successfully. He promised to see how long they could defer the time when the rate would be struck under the classification. Original Plan. Mr MncMorran said that the original plan was the drainage of the main river works, and later the drainage of the upper streams was asked for. Then later again the department was requested to drain Riponui and other districts. The original idea Teas not to give an outlet to each individual holding in the area; it w'ould require a lot more work and money to give each settler an outlet. Resentment Expressed. Air Wakelin said he w r as sorry to note that the Minister had taken exception to his remarks. He and his family before him had been in business in the district for GO years, and he had never been accused of misrepresentation in liis life. Crane’s swamp w r as the only one that showed improvement. If the Minister would visit his swamp area he was sure his anger would be turned to pity. He asked the Minister to take his advice and go and see for himself and believe what nobody said, but form his own conclusions.

The chairman urged the Minister to spend two hours in the area. Mr 7101130111 said that if ho did see it it would hr* no good, because lie bad not seen if. before the drainage started. Water Supply for Eiponui. The next request, sponsored by Mr C. Brown, was for a water supply for the Tliponui district. The crying need there, said Mr Brown, was not to get rid of •the water, but to get water int#> the district.

Many bores had been put down, Mr Brown said, but owing to the geological conditions these would have to go from 2000. to 3000 feel before satisfactory results would lie achieved. The settlers depended on tank water for house use. in summer time the water for the stock was like pen soup, and they could got a supply by pipe-line the farmers would be in a way. Tho Public Works engineer bad already

sent forward a scheme for a pipe-line from the Aloeugawahine stream, and ’jo hoped the Minister would do what ho could to have the work authorised. The land was mostly freehold. If they could not {jet water their herds would suffer in the summer, and if the drainage scheme were continued they would he in a worse plight'than ever. Good water by gravitation was obtainable Iroin Moengawahine. Mr A. .1. Murdoch, ALP. for Marsden, supported the request. l r nemployed labour could be used to lay the pipeline.

Mr Phyn said that the settlers must have more water for their stock, or they would be in a bad way. In the summer he had seen his cattle walking about blaring for water, and if ho could not got an ample supply from a stream his position would be hopeless. Mr Brown asked that the supply be free to the settlers if granted, as they were not in a position to pay for it. The Minister said he would confer with Mr Murdoch, and between them they would make representations to the Minister concerned. Land For Workless Miners, Messrs J. Corness, AV. Campbell, J. Russell and J. Platt waited on the Minister with regard to the acquirement of the AVhangarei Land Company’s property at the back of the mountain for development and occupation by unemployed miners.

Mr Corness said that the property could bo cut up into suitably-sized farms of from 50 to 100 acres. The Whangarei Land Company, ho understood, was in liquidation and wanted to sell, and the property would bo very suitable for a group settlement of small farms. It could be acquired at a reasonable price, he understood, and the land was first-class.

The unemployed miner, said Air Corness, was in a very bad position at the present time. The speaker, for instance, used to Avork in Wilsqns mine. Ho Avas uoav working on the Number 5 Scheme and earning £4 10/ a month. He had one son of 18 who had no Avork to do, one boy of 1G Avho Avas working on a farm and receiving 10/ a Avcek, one girl of 13 who was at school, and a boy of 12 avlio was also at school. The work the unemployed Averc doing iioav was mostly useless, Avhereas if they wore improving farm lands they Avould be producing something. Air Nesbitt, chairman of the Town Board, said there AA r ere 70 unemployed men in Hikurangi uoav, and their destiny seemed to be the No. 5 Scheme,

Air Graham said eh believed the laud in question could bo acquired at a reasonable figure, and it Avould bo a step in the right direction to put the miners on to it, as the mines could not keep them going. The property, AA r hich was 2200 acres in extent, was reasonably good, and he thought it could I>e bought at £6 or £7 an acre, Alost of it Avas unimproved and Avas being used for grazing cattle and sheep. Air Nesbitt said one of the drains ran through the property and, as far as he knoAV, the area Avas coal-bearing, and, if so, the Government would be able to make use of it top and bottom.

Air H. Al. Rushworth, ALP., said the coal business Avas in a parlous condition. On the one hand the miners had casual Avork to do, Avlule on the other hand they could learn to become producers, especially the younger miners. The Minister’s VieAV. The Alinster said that, as far as North Auckland was concerned, A - ery considerable work Avould be clo.ne in settling the unemployed on the land under one or other of the schemes, but the acquisition of estates had not been encouraged Avhile CroAvn land Avas aVallable,

Where farmers were not using their land satisfactorily, it might. be advantageous to acquire some of it for closer settlement, leaving such farmers enough land for themselves. No doubt the Board could buy estates, but the principle was not being encouraged. However, he would ascertain whether the property under consideration was desirable. He thought the chances of buying it, even if considered desirable, at £6 an acre was very remote. Most of the Crown lands were being settled at the cost of bringing the land into a state of production and in some eases at less, leaving nothing at all for the land.

Great strides were going to be made in North Auckland in settling the unemployed on the land, but no preference.’would be given to any section of the unemployed unless there were very special circumstances which justified it. The principle was to treat the unemployed as a whole, without preference to anyone. Mr Murdoch said that in this particular case it might be considered reasonable to give the unemployed minors of Hikurangi preference over this block, as they all had their homes in the township and could live in them until the land was ready for division.

Mr Ransom said he was quite prepared to consider that aspect and Avould place the matter before the board.

Mr McKinley, a member of the Town Board, said a lot of minors were out. of coalmining permanently, and a great many of them were married. There were also about 30 single men, but they did not want, to go to camps.

Mr Ransom: “If they will not go to camps they had better stay out

of work,”

Mr McKinley said a* land scheme was what they wanted, and if a property near Hikurangi could be found, such as the one in question, so much the better. Local Committees. Mr Ransom said he was going to recommend the board to have local committees in each district who would confer with the committees set up under the Act. Mr Nesbitt said hei only hoped that the unemployed miners, who wre not trained to farming, would get an equal, chance with those who had had experience on the land. The chairman , on behalf of all present, thanked the Minister for the patient hearing he had given them, and the proceedings terminated.