TAUPO LANDS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7930, 13 October 1911, Page 8

TAUPO LANDS

INQUIRY CONTINUED PUMICE LAND SAID TO BE GOOD. SOME INTERESTING EVIDENCE. The Parliamentary inquiry into tho proposals of tho Taupo Totara Timber Company to extend its railway line horn Alokai to Taupo and to purchase some 200,000 acres of native land in tho district was continued by the Select Committee yesterday. Air T. H. Davey presided, and there wore also present Messrs W. D. S. Macdonald, E. Newman, G. AV. Forbes, D. H. Guthrie, AV. Fraser, and V. H. Reed. Air F. G. Dalziell (chairman of directors of tho company) was also present. Air AV. C. Kensington, Under-Secre-tary for Lands, gave evidence concerning tho general character of the Crown land within a thirty-mile radius of tho township of Taupo, which, he considered, would be influenced by the establishment of a railway line. There wore 166,800 acres which he thought would be nearly, or very nearly, directly benefited by the railway. Another area comprising 184,4-11 acres of Crown land would Bo benefited by tho line in a secondary degree. A further area containing 64,000 acres of Crown land would come into the influence of the Rotorua lino Tho total area of Crown land, therefore, tho majority of which ho had shown would bo influenced by the proposed line ■ of the company comprised 415,241 acres. A part of tho C 4,00 acres ho had mentioned came within the thirty-mile radius from Taupo. Ko knew all tho land, and had been over most of it, and tho rest ho had scon from a mountain near Taupo. In regard to tho area of IGB,BOO acres the country was mostly of light pumico formation, containing a good deal of soil. The other largo area was also of light pumice formation, but very little soil was mixed with the pumice. Then there was an area of land just within, and partly outside tho thirtymilo radius which was heavy forest land of fairly good quality. It was mixed forest. The department had not had any proper reports on the land; there had merely been a superficial examination, which showed that there was timber all through, but not in sufficient quantities to give it a marketable value. Touching on tho values, ho produced a poster containing particulars of land in the district the Government proposed to open for selection in tho immediate vicinity of Taupo on the 24th of this month. The land was partly in the lake and partly a little distance from it. There were some sections on tho lake.shore and some within* half a mile of tho township of Taupo. There were also some small grazing runs extending along the Taupo-Napier road. The land on the shores of the lake and adjoining Taupo were in small areas, and were being placed on the market at from 10s to £1 19s an acre.' The largest rural section consisted of 134 acres. It was valued at 10s an acre. The unimproved capital value varied for the rest of the land offered from 13s 6d to 39s an acre. There were two small grazing runs valued at 5s 2d and 4s 6d an acre respectively. It had been shown that light pumice soil was _ capable of growing root-crops. Manuring was required. Fruit trees had also done remarkably well in such soil. He had seen very good crops of apples grown in pumice soil without the aid of manure. CROSS-EXAMINED. To Air G. AV. Forbes: Witness said that at the present, moment only 7000 acres was being put on the market but shortly it was intended to open more. He did not know what additional price would bo put on tho land owing to railway facilities being _ pro vided. Ho considered that a railway line would enhance the values. He did not know ■ what price was being asked for private land in tho vicinity; nor did he know how settlers were doing. To Mr Y. Reed: The town of Taupo was the natural rallying point of all the land he had mentioned as belonging to the ■ Crown. Undoubtedly the produce of the land would he carried by railway if a line was constructed. The land was capable of carrying all kinds of root crops. It was saeep country at present, but he could not say whether it was capable of development into dairying country. To Air Alyers: There was no demand for such land at present. Town allotments had been cut up in the township of Taupo. The advent of a railway would change the aspect of affairs. Ho was satisfied the land could be made productive, but it would mean considerable expenditure. The productivity of pumice land, he thought, had gone beyond the experimental stage. Tho land for which 39s an acre was being asked was residential land. He could not say how much it would cost to 'make tho land productive. He understood that manuring would have to bo renewed, as it W'as said to sink right through tho pumice. To Air Newman: The land, was fairly well watered by good running streams. The value mentioned in tho poster was not a fair value for tho remainder of tho Crown land ho had mentioned as being within a thirty-mile radius of Taupo. ' NATIVE LAND. To Air Fraser: AVitness had not mentioned native lands. There was a considerable area of native laud in tho district. The greater part of the native land was on, the eastern side of the lake, and was very much the same quality of land as belonging to the Crown. Native land to the south-east of tho lake was something of the same quality as the Crown land, except that it extended into the slate country. There was good forest land to the west of tho lake belonging to tho natives; while the native land near the Waikato river was inferior pumico land. The land varied a good deal in value, but he considered that the Crown land for pastoral and agricultural purposes was worth prices ranging from os to £2 an acre. How much is worth 5s and how much £2 an acre?—-Two years ago witness would havo said that one-third of the land was worth os an acre; but he ■ would not say so now, as good crops had been grown in pumice soil, and that showed that the land must now have a greater value than ever before. Ho could'not say how much of the land was worth £1 an aero or more. To tho chairman: Ho could not say which would ho tho best route for a railway. That was an engineering

question. His personal opinion was that an extension of tho railway from Rotorua would open up most of the privately-owned and native land between Rotorua and Taupo; but it would not benefit very much the Crown land, which to a great extent would be benefited hv an extension of the TaupoTotara" Company’s railway. The Crown at the present time hardly owned any land between Rotorua and the township of Taupo along the proposed. lino in that direction. To Air Dalziell: AVitness admitted that there were largo areas of land in the North Island of good quality and of proved value which up to tho present time were not tapped by railways or good roads. Air Dalziell said he wanted to make tho point that tho Government would more readily borrow money for railways and the opening up of land when tho land was of good quality and of proved value than it would where the land was not of known value, such as the district around Taupo. PUAIICE LAND. Air B. C. Aston, Government Agricultural Chemist, gave a technical description of the chemical qualities of the soil in tho district affected, making special reference to pumice land. Such land, he said, was capable of very great improvement. In reply to questions from various members of the committee witness said the land was very rich in potash. Plot experiments were being tried at prosent. Superphosphates would he a great ameliorative agency in the development of pumice . land. He was favourably impressed with the possibilities of such land. He was certain tho land was capable of being made productive. The land would produce fruit where there was sufficient humus and the other factors, in addition to soil, were favourable. Tjj.e land was suitable for being worked in small areas.

Air Dalziell suggested that it should bo mado conditional, if a favourable recommendation were made by the committee, that tho railway should be passed for passenger traffic by a Government expert before the company was allowed to acquire any land.

The chairman said that if permission was granted to the company" tho lino must bo constructed in accordance with the requirements of the Public Works Department. Tiie committee adjourned until 10.30 this morning, when Air H. J. H. Blow, Under-Secretary for Public Works, and Air E. CliHon, director of experiment farms, will be called.