LAND BOARD.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 12768, 10 February 1916, Page 4

LAND BOARD.

At v.'-i'.'n.kiy'.-i mooting of the Land Hoard' tin' following matters concerning tiii.- district were dealt with: — The following applications to_ transf<r won' approved: Sections 54, 57. block t Otepopo. 160ac. from executors late Mr St. J. M. Buckley to Mr Win P. Reid (objection groundless); ruirs' 189 421, 421 a, 429b, and"4 of C, Waitaki'County, from Messrs: Campbell and Sous to Mr Jas. Sutherland. Yn exemption from residence- was granted Mr H. T. Harper in respect of section 50a, Steward; Settlement, 57a 2r 7p. he having enlisted: Exemption, from residence was granted to Mr J. A. D. M'K. Hutton in respect of sections 8, 19, block IX, Maruwenua, -34 aOr Bp, subject w> proof of enlistment. _ Tlie scheme of subdivision of Hilderthorpe Settlement and valuations, submitted for consideration, was apThe application of the Waitaki Countv Council for portion of section Sa, Totaia Settlement, held by Mr L. Th'vnc, for an approach to a bridge at Ge'mmell's Ford, was recommended for approval. It having been reported that tne coal lease over section 76, block .VIII, Awamoko district (60 acres), would expire on March 12, the Board considered tlie question of dealing with the land. —It approved of a year-to-year license to Mr W. G. H. Willetta "as from March 13, 1916, at £lO per annum.

Application was made for a temporarv license over Benmore Runs in terms of section 55 of "The Land Act, 190 S." —Mr John Roberts waited on the Board, and explained the arrangements made in regard to .mustering on Benmore. and the disposal of the stock; and the period of the license was fixed so that the incoming lessees will have an opportunity to acquire stock used to the country.—lt was resolved to recommend the issue of license, to expire on April 30, 1916. Mr Roberts agreed that every facility would be afforded the new lessees to erect fencing, etc., during the license period. Deficient improvements were reported on sections 31a and 37a. Kauroo Hill Settlement, held by Mr AlbertDuff (area 1126 acres 2 rood.s 33 poles). —Twelve months' time granted.

it was reported that fencing was required on section 14a, Elderslie Settlement No. 2, held by Mr A. Perniskic (area- 115 acres 3 roods 30 poles).— Matter to he left in abeyance. A. report was received on. non-fulfil-ment of conditions of lease in re fencing section loa. Steward Settlement, held by Mr L. C. Knight. —Lessee to bo called on to show cause. The Under-Secretary advised the withdrawal from selection of section 19a, Totara Settlement. —Temporary occupation* by Mr S. Moore from date of • forfeiture at original Tent approved. There was no appearance of a. deputation in. re the Otekaike waterrace.

The following trustees were appointed for the Otiake and Otekaike portion of the Waitaki Islards :—Messrs T. A. Munro (chairman). W. Warwick (secretary). Win. Condon. E. Dineen. and M. Downey.

The. report of the ranger on proposed alteration of roadline through section 2a, Maraeweka- Settlement, was approved.'

SECRET DEALS IN MILLIONS. Four million workers in every kind of trade were represented by 1000 delegates at :i Labour conference, bold at the Central Hall. Westminster, on December 1. Remarkable revelations of the slops taken by the Government to defeat a German'plan to starve England out were made by Mr Rinicirann, President of the Board of Trade, who gave particulars of how the Government carried out secret deaU in millions. There must- be large numbers of people, he said, who had no idea of the tremendous transactions in which the Government h:;d embarked to secure the food for the people. The first thing we discovered was that part of Germany's military method was to attempt to starve us out of some of the commodities. We were dependent mainly upon •Germany for sugar, which she absolutely stopped. She stopped all supplies of beet sugar, and we ran the risk of being out of sugar in a very few weeks, if we had not then embarked on one of the greatest socialistic experiments, that has ever been undertaken by a Government. Before Americans Knew. The Royal Commission on Sugar was set, up, but weeks before it was publicly announced that Mr McKenna, with an expert body behind him, was buying sugar all over the world. He bought it in Cuba before the Americans knew what we were after; in South. Africa, whence no supplies had been coming for some years; in Mauritius, and in India. He went about the work secretly, for had we talked about it in public we should have spoiled the market against us We have bought throughout the world the whole of the United Kingdom's requirements in sugar of the last twelve months, right up to date, and we shall go on doing it to the end of the war. The Government had expended on sugar well over fortv millions.

But sugar was nothing like as important as meat. To-day imported meat was necessary for the army, who had the first mortgage en -all the frozen meat it could get. Meat was controlled by a large number of powerful meat houses, mainly in America, and the Government had to make it clear io them that meat must come to this country under reasonable conditions. The Government" took the refrigerated ships oyer, on the basis of supply and demand, at an enormous reduction from the first price asked, and'they proceeded to bargain with the meat companies. (Laughter.) All the frozen meat coming into this country now was subject to the Government's control. French officials had. said that but for that.action it would never have been possible to supply even the French army with frozen meat. So satisfied was the French Government with these transactions that they had left the British Government free to make the whole of the purchases of frozen meat in the world for their army as well'-as for their own. (Cheers.) We had expended well over £25,000,000. of money already, in imported frozen meal. Last season the danger we ran in this country was of actually being so short of wheat" that there would not have been enough flour to go round. We had not a very large margin of supply at any time, and if the submarine menace had been what its authors told the Germans it was, we might have, found ourselves cut. off from India, the Argentine, the United States, and Canada, and we should have been starved out.

Thanks to the navy, they failed in that. (Cheers.) But we could run no risks, and were bound to ha\ - e here a sufficiently large margin to make sure that even if traffic werejnterrupted ive could still go on without prices reaching famine levels. Our purchase rau into millions. It ivas done secretly, and that was one o£ the difficulties the Government had to face this season, because the fact had leaked out. Mr Runciman pointed out how vessels; numbexing more than 1400, had been commandeered by the Government, and taken over at what were known as. Blue-book rates fixed by the State. To show the result of the maximum prices fixed in Germany, Mr Runciman said that compared with prices just before war : The price of pork is more than double. The price of butter has doubled. The price of bacon has gone up three times over. The price of lard has gone up four times over. The price of beef, even with the enormously reduced consumption, has gone up 50 per cent. The. effect of these maximum, prices, said the speaker, was that the. Germans had -been bound to Taise" their, 'maximum pjh.es s>tep by fctep, and ; n etery step they wejts preventing the supplies coming forward,' and\they "had been,injuring their people without .good effect. .. ■