NEEDS OF THE NORTH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16848, 13 May 1918, Page 4

NEEDS OF THE NORTH

- THE NEW LAND DISTRICT. SEPARATE OFFICES WANTED, [BT TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] . - |j WHAfeG-ABKI. Snnaay. ' Several deputations were introduced to 8 3 the Minister for Lands at Whangarei on ~M Saturday by Mr. F. Maader, M.P. '?:*M. The Mayor, Mr. J. H. Dent, asked that the office of the new Northland Land -Jl Board, as well as the Deeds Registration, 3 and Stamp Offices, should be centred in -4r the borough. He pointed out that it was V now . necessary to go to Auckland to do ''% business, whereby there was an unneces- - 1 sary loss of time and money. The chair- : man of the Whangarei County, Mr. McInnes, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. F. Thompson, spoke in support of the proposal. Mr. W. A Carruth said he hoped to see Government buildings erected in Whangarei, as the Departments were scattered ail over the town. All were expanding, so that it was necessary to make proper provision for housing them. The Minister said he realised that the Lands Office must be placed in a central position in the North eventually, but the expense of shifting the offices would be heavy, and would entail a great deal of work, which the Department could not undertake just now. The work at present could be done economically from Auckland. If a Lands Office were established in the North a Deeds Office would follow. He would commence at once to keep northern registrations separate from the rest of the district, with a view to estab- ' lishing a separate office later. Mention was made of an area of 3600 • acres of gum lands, 14 miles from the " borough. Repeated application had been made to have the reservation lifted, but nothing had been done. The land was denuded of gum practically, it was served by a good metal road, and was suitable. for settlement. Mr. Guthrie promised ,to look into this matter. The Minister was asked to throw open an area of 665 acres of first-class land at" Parakao, at present held as a white pine reserve. The land, with the river fiats-, would provide, the deputation said, six good dairy farms for returned _ soldiers. Mr. Guthrie said it was not a reserve, but was held from sale on account of the valuable timber. He could give them no " . encouragement that the area would be put" I on the market before the timber was made i use of.