LAND FOR SETTLERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20597, 23 June 1930, Page 11

LAND FOR SETTLERS.

fIjDNG COUNTRY PURCHASE. Description of property. - ;'v ASSET IN BUILDINGS. POSSIBILITIES OF THE SCHEME. Some attractive features that should ensure the ultimate success of the venture • Bs jst in the recent purchase by the Crown of an estate of 5550 acres at Poro-o-tarao, ca the Main Trunk railway, about 20 jnfles south of Te Kuiti. Opinion in the district indicates that on this occasion, at least, the Lands Department has made jl good bargain. The property was purchased from the Tunnel Timber Company, Limited. On it are 22 houses, about 26 . , gjngle men's whares, a large cookhouse combining a big dining room a»d residence. » school and appointments, stable, post office and other minor buildings, all pf which once formed a model sawBiilling village. The buildings, which are of a superior type, are all comparalively new, having been erected during the last ten years, and they have also been constructed in a manner that will facilitate their easy removal to other parts of the property. The purchase was made possible by . the winding-up of the Tunnel Timber '/Company. This concern commenced operalions in'the district about ten years ago. }t was thought at the time that the block on which'' cutting was commenced would yield sufficient timber for about 20 year's' milling and a plan of development was commenced on the basis of that period. As the bush was cut out, burn-ing-off 3n d grassing were undertaken and ike land brought into use for the grazing of sheep and the fattening of cattle. The far-sighted development policy of the companv was carried on for a number of '' vears, it being' hoped that by the time milling was completed a considerable area :r'of grazing land would bo available for sub-division. / Mill Destroyed by Fire. The estimate of millable timber, liow■ever, proved excessive and supplies ran out last year after about ten years' operations. At the same time disaster overtook the company in the form of a serious fire, which destroyed the mill, with many thousand feet of timber, last September. Negotiations for the sale of the property in order that the company could be voluntarily wound-up extended over some time. At present there is no road access. The : : , r j block does not adjoin the Main Trunk, ' but land for a tram line from the railway two miles to the boundary was bought by the timber, company and has taken over with the property. The tram line climbs over the bills that compel the railway to dive underground at this point, j'. actually passing over the tunnel, and then dips down on the other side to an expansive plateau of undulating country, about 1500 it. above sea-level and about 500 ft. above the level of the railway. Alighting from the train, the visitor clambers aboard a motor-trolley that j, carries him quickly to the deserted milling ' village, four miles away. If present proposals are carried out this tram line by the end of next summer will be replaced bv a metalled road. The elimination of some of the big loops, necessary for workable tram grades, will shorten the distance by about a mile. At its present terminus the line runs out of a patch ol bush between two rows of houses nestling on a flat clearing some 500 acres in extent. Southwards, separated by a twochain belt ofn shelter bush, lies nearly 1000 acres of grassed land, on which caunt, charred tree-skeletons. forest ' monarchs of some earlier day, still stand in mute appeal against, the progress ot man. Eastwards extends the remainder or the block, which, having been deprived of all its millable timber, has yet to be deforested. Easy Jfature of Property.

The casv nature of the property is in marked contrast*to that of some parts of the King Country. Even in winter the environment is attractive and the luxuriant growth in the neglected gardens indicates that there is quality in the soil, all of which is well watered by

rum ling streams. _ 'flie presence of oilier Crown lands au--1 joining this country adds to the possibihf ties of development. On one hand there ' is a block of 1000 acres of Crown land and oil tho other an area of <OO acres of native, land. It i:s also understood that tha purchase of another small area to consolidate the whole is under consideration. Tha proximity of these areas increases the asset :in the buildings, of which there are more than sufficient to establish settlers in homes on the newlypurchased block. Tae capital value of the block for rating purposes is £SOOO and by the transection the Waitomo County Council will ltise £7O a year in general rates and hospital levy until the land is allotted to settlers. ProDosals of Government. The Government's immediate proposals for development of the block have already been outlined by the Minister of I<ands, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, and these provide for the conversion of the tramway into a metalled road and / for the felling, clearing and grassing of 2000 acres, 700 of which will be put iu band during the present season. At the end of last week the property was visited by Mr. W. T. Armitt, commissioner of Crown lands, of New Plymouth, in whose district the property is situated, Mr. G. Albertson, Public Works engineer at Taumarunui, and Mr. L. P. Harty, fields inspector, Taumarunui, who discussed with Mr. E. Edkins, of I'oro-o--tarao, managing director of tho Tunnel i ~ Timber Company, plans for carrying out th» scheme announced by the Minister. The construction of the road will give

immediate access to the railway at Poro-o-tarao. From there it is also possible to reach Te Kuili by road during diy v,•cather, but t beie is as yet no road to the south. Only a mile and a-half of formation over the railway tunnel remains id complete the highway that follows the Main Trunk railway from Auckland to Wellington. It is possible that Iho Government's purchase will expedite the forging/ of that last link in what must, ultimately become a great central highway. Furthermore, it would materially add to (he value of the Crown's purchase. Importance of Road Access.

At present there is a metal road from Te Kuili for 12 to 14 miles soutli to Kopaki. j Beyond there the road to Toro-o-tarao becomes impassable during the winter. Four or five miles of clay road extend southwards, from the other side of the tunnel to Waimiha, which is linked with metal to the Te Kuiti-Bulls highway, passing through Taumarunui. The importance of all-weather road access is emphasised by those who know the country. The failure of attempts to settle other'areas iin the past is put down to the fact that all the burden of providing proper loading was not equitably distributed over the whole block, but left to the settlers; who took some of the factions, many of whom faced a lifetime of hardship and mud. Mr. W. J. Broadfoot, M.P., who has taken a keen interest in the transaction, stated at Te Kuili that the Government had made an excellent purchase. The property had been secured for £6OOO. From a subdivisional point of view the buildings were worth at least that money. On the grassed hind ho placed a conservative value of £8 an acre, and on the balance of the block 30s an acre—a total JUlue of £17,500.