EXTENDING A RAILWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14810, 13 October 1911, Page 6

EXTENDING A RAILWAY.

TAUPO COMPANY'S SCHEME.

AREAS TO BE BENEFITED.

VALUE OF PUMICE LANDS.

Ibi telegraph.SPEClAL CORRESPONDENT.)

Wellington', Thursday. State officers gave evidence this morning before tho special Parliamentary Committee appointed to investigate the Taupo Totara Timber Company's railroad proposition. The company has asked Parliament for authority to extend its existing railway to Taupo town, and to purchase an area of 200,000 acres of native land. Tho members of the committee present were : Mesers. T. H. Davey (chairman), A. M. Myers, W. D. S. Macdonald, E. Newman, G W. Forbes, D. ' 11. Guthrie, W. Eraser, and V. 11. Reed. Mr. F. G. Dalziell, chairman 1 of directors of tho company, was also present.

Mr. W. C. Kensington (Under-Secretary for Crown Lands)" gave evidence regarding the character of the country within a 30mile radius of Taupo township. He estimates that 166,800 acres of Crown land would receive immediate benefit from the proposed extension, 184,441 acres would receive benefit in a secondary degree, and there were also within a 40-milo radius 64,000 acres of Crown land, which would bo influenced rather by the Rotorua railway than the Taupo line. He described the land in the first classification as comprising a variety of soils, principally of pumice and gravel formation, containing a good deal of soil. The greater portion of tho land in the second classification was of light pumice formation, containing very little soil, and there were also some areas within the limits of the 30-mile circle, which were foreet lands, of fairly good quality. The forest on the land lying to tho east of Taupo town was not in sufficient quantity to be marketable.

In reply to questions, Mr. Kensington said that the land was sheep country, capable, after cultivation and manuring, of producing remarkably good root crops. He had no knowledge of the suitability of any of the area for dairying. He was satisfied, that these pumice lands could bo made productive by a considerable expenditure, and that their value would be enhanced by the construction of the proposed extension. He estimated the unimproved value of Crown lands in the area affected at from 5s to £2 ner acre. The results obtained by Mr. Va'ile showed that tho value of the pumice lands was much greater than had been put upon it two years ago. For instance, the productivity of the pumice lands was now proved. The projected extension of the Rotorua railway would servo largo areas of private and native lands, but there was very little Crown land in the country that would be traversed by that line. x Mr. B. C. Aston, State agricultural chemist, gavo an analytical statement of the chemical composition of pumice Boils, which, bo stated, were capable of considerable improvement.

To Mr. Newman : He was now trying plot experiments with pumice soil, which went to show that superphosphates would be a great ameliorative for these soils, and their effects would be permanent. He had a high opinion of the possibilities of these soils for root crops. '..'• To Mr. Myers: Pumice soil would probably produce fruit where there was sufficient humus, and where climate, shelter, and other conditions were suitable, tho land could be farmed in small areas. The Chairman said that undoubtedly, if permission was granted to lay the line, it must be in accordance with the requirements of the Public Works Department.

It was resolved to call Mr. H. J. H. Blow (Under-Secretary -for Public Works) and Mr. E. Clifton (director of agricultural experiments) as witnesses, and to hear Mr. Dalzieli again. The committee will meet again to-morrow morning.