KING COUNTRY NEEDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18388, 2 May 1923, Page 10

KING COUNTRY NEEDS.

LAND AWAITING SETTLERS.

DIFFICULTIES OF;' TENURE.

M.P.'S VISIT DISTRICT.,

;"[3T TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL ': REPORTER.] -..;• ' TE KUITI. Tuesday. 'A study of the . problems of the King Country, with its vast area of undeveloped land and its ? complex land' titles.; is the task before a party of; 14 ; ; Members of Parliament, which; assembled ;at •Te 'Kuitito-day. ; /The ; tour, .which will last three days, has been arranged;; by members of ■ the To Kuiti Borough Council, Waitomo County Council, ■■'-. and; the ..- Te Kuiti ; Chamber "I of Commerce. "i[ Sir John Luke ; (Wellington North) is the father ■ of the party, and the other.members are . : Messrs. R. A;.; Wright ■; (Wellington Suburbs), W. H. Field (Otaki), K.; F. Bollard v (Raglan); P. Fraser (Wellington | Central), M. - J.Savage• (Auckland j West), O. Hawken (Egmont), E. 'A. j Ransom (Pahiatua), ;F. Lye ; (Waikato), F. Langstone. (Waimarino), : W. J. Jordan (Manukau), J. Linklater (Manawatu), L. Mcllvride < ( Napier) .and ;.; J. C. Rolleston (Waitomo). About twenty other members accepted the t invitation, but they have not yet arrived, and it is not known whether ;, they are coming. _ j Accommodated in nine motor-cars, the party travelled */ many miles to the east and west of j Te Kuiti, ; and were shown a great/ expanse of land which is .... idle, or practically, so, because of the unsatisfactory / native tenure. Much of it would make splendid dairying country; in farms of 100"or 150 acres. For the most part \ the r land has v hardly been touched.; Here and there strong /'■ patches ;of ; grass and crops of turnips "> relieve ; the ;; monotony of stretches; of bracken fern and charred ; tree: stumps. Where ; cultivation /has been: attempted -'the efforts have been well rewarded and this \ experience v ; only serves to emphasise more ' strongly the tremendous results that-"'-., would follow upon the ' full development of the areas. The Kangltoto Country. Leaving Te'Kuiti in bright ? sunshine, shortly after 9 o'clock this ; morning, the party traversed the Ahoroa Road to the west of Te' Kuiti, and an inspection was made of; the« Rangitoto country. • Mr. W. J- Broadfoot, who accompanied - the party on behalf of ; the Chamber of Commerce, impressed on the visitors i the l suit-abil-A- of: the land for dairying. ;Taranaki farmers, he said, recognised this -and they had come here in large numbers, i '■ There were .at present in that locality 16 men ; with "> 1' holdings ';./ \ which /. ;/ aggregated 23,000 acres, ; which; with • the removal of j tenure difficulties, ; thus; allowing for closer settlement, i would make good 100 lb 150-acre •;/ dairying - : - farms. j. He pointed out the vastness of the 'area 'and emphasised the fact that, in' addition to native land,! Crown land made up a large portion of the total : ; area.;?/' It was ': to '.'vthe benefit :of the whole community that' immediate action should be; taken to release the land and make it productive. ! The party next proceeded to the Mai horehbre «block; at the : edge ;of the valley I "of x the\ Waipa, where ; further inspection i Was made,- and a striking example observed : or the manner in which i the land' [responds to cultivation, a considerable area having been sown in permanent pasture. . . ;.; In the 'i course of discussion, Mr. Bol- !■ lard-; said there was no doubt that y the. t first task must be to endeavour to find some satisfactory 'solution >. of :. the .native tenure difficulty. Whenever the ;- matter was raised in the; House Southern members V opposedX action, and :; the cry 'twas; • raised of A robbing the poor native." In his ;? opinion, \ anyone would have V to * rise very early indeed ;to rob ; natives ; in the:! King Country. Resources Lying Undeveloped. Mr. Lye referred to -the releasing of the j native: leases on the West Coast, of Taranaki, and questioned whether something of the same sort > could , not be adopted in the King Country. :;:; In the meantime the whole progressi: of • the King Country was being retarded and its;; resources* were lying undeveloped. .-;:;;:;. The. welfare of the; North Island 'lay; wrapped up in the native land difficulty. • s , A return was made to. Te Kuiti and then the party ;,. travelled .• eight '• miles along j the Awakino "Road, turning r;- off to Kopaki. Next,to the immensity ;of the 'area of -the; land, the most striking feature was the absence of any; sign ? : of settlement. Hardly a .house was '}toy be seen for miles. This was ; all the more remarkable when the Main .. Trunk rail- : way line was crossed at Kopaki, emphasising the prOximity ■of transit facilities. ' , V Lunch was, provided at the residence ■of Mr. and Mrs. W. Gall, and, in returning thanks for the hospitality ex- ' tended,: Sir John Luke .. paid .a ; tribute to the ; ; back-block ; settlers ;■! and mentioned that p the hostess was ; one ;of : the ;; first white women enter the district. • ■: From ',;.this [ top:- of ;; an adjacent ; 'hill "*a magnificent view .was obtained of. a plateau, thousands of acres-;in extent, and eminently; suited ; for closer: settlement. The limitless f expanse of !: land; from,there to made a wonderful panorama.; ;::A5 return was "made; in the evening to Te Kuiti. To-morrow the "; party . wilT visit.Mahoenui, Piopio, and Aria. On Thursday .; the Waitomo '■ Caves and the Otorohanga district will bo visited; .