A BACK-BLOCKS PETITION

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1847, 31 July 1907, Page 17

A BACK-BLOCKS PETITION

The case which has been presented to Parliament by Dr G. E. Anson, of Wellington, is one which vitally affects tho future prospects of back-blocks settlement in this State. Dr Anson is one of the examples of a large holder situated in the midst of a number of smaller ones, and fulfilling a function which was fully recognised by the Government when, the Liberal land policy was first promulgated. The facts of the case* robbed of comment, are as follows : In 1889 a man named Burdon, whtt was afterwards drowned in the Rangitikei river, took up, under the Land Act of 1885, small grazing run No. 32, blocks V, VI, and VII, Tiriraukawa, comprising 2900 acres. The term was twenty-one years, consequently the lease runs out in 1910. Dr Anson bought the goodwill from the Public Trustee at public auction in 1897. Seven hundi'ed acres had been cleared, sown, and partially fenced, and he paid ,£3OOO for the improvements. These have been increased until at the present time they consist of 2400 acres cleared, grassed and fenced, a six-roomed house, woolshed, packing shed, sheepyards, and dip, stockyards, txvo miles of bridle track out to the public road, other bridle tracks all oven* the property, and more than a mile of swamp drains. The best grasses have been used and the clearing and burning have been most successfully carried out. The nearest railway station is that at Mangaonoho, which is eleven miles distant. All the wool front the shearing shed has to be brought in packs a distance of two miles along ordinary bridle tracks to the packing shed. No dray _ has ever been on the place, nor would it be possible to get one there without the construction of a road at considerable expense. The holding is generally very steep, there being only one flat of fifty acres at the extreme end of the plac® near the Mangapapa creek. STOCK AND VALUATIONS. The run carries in winter about 5000 sheep and 100 cattle on the 2400 acres. All the bricks required for the chimneys and the sheep-dip were made on the place, and the timber for the buildings was also liand-sawn there. The improvements really cost, according to the lessee's estimate, ,£3 10s per acre on the 2400 acres, or nearly <£B4oo, as against the Government valuation of £6228. The details of that valuation are as follows : £ Capital value ... _ ... 12,728 Owner's interest in unimproved value ... 6,500 Lessee's interest in improvements 6,228 Dr Anson objected to the lowness of tha valuation, but was unable to attend tho Assessment Court to support his objection.

THE PRAYER OF THE PETITION.

In his petition for redress against the intention of the Wellington Land Board not to renew his lease of the run, Dr Anson points out that his object in taking up the land in the first place was to spend all his savings on its development, and so provide for the old ago of. himself, his wife, and their three sons and daughter. Hei is not a landgrabber, and does not wish to occupy any land over and above this run, which he maintains is not too large for a man who has such responsibilities. Before he bought the goodwill of the place lie had an opportunity of interviewing the late Sir John McKenzie, who told him it was an important part of his policy for some men of moderate oapital to occupy places of this size amongst smaller settlers, whom they could provide with employment to enable them to develop their holdings. < He had always given employment to his neighbours whenever possible. It was on this assurance of the Minister that he took up the land, upon which he had spent more in improvements than the amount of the unimproved value. For many years, when wool and meat were very low, he could hardly make both ends meet, and it was not until the last few years that he had recouped himself for the outlav. Under the circumstances he does not think it fair and considerate that the Land Board should refuse to grant him a renewal, nor dons he think it in the interests of the State that men of moderate means, who have honestly tried to do their duty by spending their savings on such reproductive work as bush-clearing, should_ be denied the reward of their enterprise, and practically driven out of the country. He does not believe that the property could he profitably cut up into five blocks, as proposed) since an expensive scheme of roadie would be necessary before it would be°at all po&sible to locate small settlers on the land, and no metal is procurable in the district. If it is cut up, Hr Anson considers it is certain to be reaggregated, since the holders will fin<r the roughness of the country and the cost of working intolerable. It would ho especially hard upon him, after lie had developed the land and risked all his earnings in it, to be displaced by another, who would reap the benefit of his outlav. The petitioner prays for some relief, either in the way of security of tenure by lease with right of renewal and periodical revaluation, or in some other form. The case is exciting considerable in terest amongst back-blocks settlers. It is understood that the action ot the Land Board wa - du • to a desire on the part of persons in the locality that the yun should be more closely settled.