DRAINING HIKURANGI SWAMP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16848, 13 May 1918, Page 7

DRAINING HIKURANGI SWAMP

SCHEME TO BE DRAWN UP. [BY TELEGRAPH. — SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] WHA.NGAREI, Sunday. The draining of 25,000 acres of the Hikurangi swamp was placed before the Minister for Lands at Whangarei. It was stated that the land was taken up by Crown tenants, who acquired the freehold, but nearly 2000 acres was still held by the Government. There was very little actual swamp, but floods took weeks to drain off the land, which should be carrying thousands of cattle and producing butter-fat. It was pointed out that members of Parliament had an erroneous idea that the settlers wanted the Government to bear the cost of the drainage works, whereas the true position was that the settlers expected to be asked to pay for anything done for them, and they were willing to do so. The Minister promised to view the area before he left the district. He said the chief drainage engineer had reported that the drainage was feasible, but that the scheme would cost possibly £2 10s an acre. The best plan, he thought, was to place a workable scheme before the settlers concerned, with an estimate of the cost, so that they would know exactly what they were going into. Then the settlers could say what they were prepared to do.