BUTTER OR TIMBER?

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20097, 7 November 1928, Page 16

BUTTER OR TIMBER?

Sir,—l have been directed by the members of the Kumcn District Ratepayers' Association to call attention to the urgent need to save for settlement purposes some thousands of acres of land running from the Waikoukou Valley to the Longhnsh district. This land is part of the Riverhead block and unless public opinion is aroused it is to be planted in forest trees. The land in question is undulating land, much of it- of good quality, with a good deal of ptiriri growing on it. It is stated by those who know it that the land about Longbush is of much better quality than (ho land mnv under dairy farms in and about Kumeu and the Waikoukou Valley. Our information is that, including the easy undulating land'alongside the Waikoukou Valley Road, about 3000 to 4000 acres is suitable for settlement. II this is correct the land, if tut itp into 50 to 150-acrc farms, will carry quite a largo farming population, with immediate benefit to the. city dwellers. Wo are told this block of land can be easily loaded by extending the Waikoukou Road through the block and access can also be obtained by Deacon's Road, running through the forest area. Our association considers if the roads were put in and metalled and the land weighted with the cost and opened for settlement under the O.R.P. tenure it would be keonly competed for The land in question is about six to ten miles by the Waikoukou Road and about eic;ht miles to Kumeu and Riverliead by Deacon's Road. The Hon. .T. O. Coates told us. in answer to a question at his Kumeu meeting, that' lie was against, land suitable for farming being planted in forest trees and we feci it only requires the facts to bo known to have this land opened for settlement, instead of going under forest. The members of our association recognise the very good work lming done by Ihe forestry Department in planting the rough and broken land in forest trees, but this does not do away with the fact that a serious mistake is being made in planting land well suited for dairying in forest trees. C. (!. Davis, Vice president. Kumeu District RaleI payers' Association,.