Conflicting Versions

NZ Truth, Issue 889, 9 December 1922, Page 2

Conflicting Versions

Which is Right?

During the election campaign m Auckland a statement wtis made that a block of land about 45 miles from Rotorua was acquired m 1918 by a private individual for about £4375, and 'in 1919 was purchased by the Massey Government for soldier settlement at a price of £27,500, approximately seven times the previous price, paid. Mr Massey has described this as a 'mare's nest," and as "absolute nonsense." It was never intended to place soldiers on the land. Further, he said, the block was one on which the Railway Department had purchased the timber. The Government had intended to purchase the freehold, but only on' condition that the vendors could give a clear title. They had not been able to do so, and the £5000 purchase money (the extent to which the Government offer for the freehold was limited) had therefore been withheld. The timber had been bought by the Government, and its experts said there were 35,000,000 ft of timber on the block, and so far as could be judged it had cost the Government Is per hundred feet, , which was absurdly cheap, as any timber man would tell them.