THE MINISTER OF LANDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19964, 4 December 1926, Page 7

THE MINISTER OF LANDS

DEPUTATIONS AT BALCLUTHA. SEVERAL MATTERS DISCUSSED. SOLDIER SETTLERS’ GRIEVANCES. The Hon. A. D. M'Leod, Minister of Lands and Minister of Industries- and Commerce, paid a visit to the new Balclutha District High School yesterday morning, when representations were made to him with the object of securing Government assistance for putting the grounds in order for football and other recreation purposes. The school is at present controlled by a local Adviory Committee, which is responsible to the Otago Education Board, but it is understood that a Board of Gov ernors will be set up shortly. The school is nearly completed, and it is expected that it will be ready for occupation at the end of the summer vacation. At present between 130 and 140 pupils are receiving secondary education in Balclutha. and there is every prospect that the number wilt he increased to about 200 very shortly The grounds arc spacious, but a difficulty presents itself in regard to the laying out of a football ground as there is a fairly deep gully at the southern end, and this will have to bo filled in' to enable a full sized field to bo laid out. The estimate of the Education Board’s''architect for put ting the grounds in proper order is about £IBOO, but the local authorities concerned consider that all that is necessary could be done for .about £4OO. The position was put before the Minister by Mr ,T. D. Lanrlels (chairman of the local Advisory Committee), and Mr J. Reid (rector of the High School) Ay M'Leod promised to bring the matter hef \-3 the of Education on his rctu\n_ to Wellington, hut at the same time ho Tainted out the difficulties in financing r.’l '.the demands for education works t!iroj-hout the Dominion. Loading on cairn runs. j A deputation consisting of Mr Harris, Mr MTncloo, and Watt (clerk), and representing the Clutha County Council, waited on Mr I M'Leod with reference to the question ol reading on the Cairn runs, in the Clinton district. Mr Harris referred to the question oi I reading on the runs, which were cut up about four years ago. No provision had been made for reading, and the settlers were ;if '-ad c-d n far as etting supplies was concerned. The County Council was not in a ’■ i-.t o.'i to relievo tb« .-ett’ers. Mr M Lend.- 7 suppose llicy are paying rat-s I Mr Harris said that was so. The land was-vested in the River Trust. The cost of reading would he expensive. The settlers were in a bad way- and he would like to get some assistance from the Government. was already heavy rating for special loans for reading further our The speaker r.dmii.ed that the rents were reduced at the end of the last lease. Tho Mon. Air M'Leod said it appeared to him (hat it was a matter for the Public Works Department. As far as he could see i the only way in which the Government j could deal with the matter would be to i make a road and take th" interest from the endowment, or lo load the ettlers with the cost of reading. Mr Galbraith mentioned that the mailer went to arbitration when the last leases expired. _ : Air M'Leod said that probably the fact ; that there was no rending was responsible for the reduction being made. Air Harris said that, question was not Tpiscd, They had approached the County Council about, six months ago. i Air Galbraith said that only one run had I reeding at all. Air Harris; Only the homestead run. There is not even a trad to the other I places Air Galbraith said ho had arranged to go out, and make an inspection with a view to ascertaining .if n cheaper road could be made through the sections. Air Harris said that reading would bo expensive as it was very difficult country. Air Al'Leod; About how much would the rants bef

Mr Harris: I should say they would amount to about dJSOO per year. The trouble is that there appears to be dual control. The Minister said ho would look into the matter and see if anything could bo done. VALUATION Of TIMBER. Another deputation from the CJutha County Council brought under the notice of the Minister the question of the valua tion of standing timber for rating purposes. ' Mr J, R. Wilson, who acted as spokeman, said that for several years they had a form of rating, but last year through some by-law in tne Act, which was found by the northern mills, they nearly lost it. out the Government had passed an Act to enable the County Councils to carry on the rating for this year only. Mr M'Leod had stated that there should be some torm of taxation on this timber, but not the form in force at present. ihe area affected in the Clutha County was about 6000 acres, but there uas about 10 tunes as much State forest and the same area of Maori land. The County Council thought it was entitled lo some rates to provide for reading. Mr M'Leod said this was one ol the problems that abetted different districts in uilferont ways. When the judgment of the court removing certain timbers from the valuation roll was given, he as an old county councillor, thought that the general linance of each county had been upset. When the councils on the Main Trunk line approached him they asked that the rates should uo temporarily, if not permanently, reinstated so that at the end of the Imancial year they would be able to adjust matters. fie taought it was a fair thing, and he had made a promise, but ul the end of the session he found it very difficult to carry it out, and it came to a question of a compromise, which was that the system would be continued for this year so us to enable local bodies to ’adjust their finance at the end of the year ot again make representations to Parliament in what ever direction they thought it wise--to esk that the law .-mould bo amended or to have matters as they were previously. The now form of valuation had come in through the Forestry [department. There were many disputes in the north over the valua lion of timber. There were large areas of Native lands and the Maoris were con tinually complaining that the Valuation Department was not putting enough on the j land. The contention between the different mtero-ts became very heated, and the Lands Department said; “If you do not consider we are exports we shall hand ; the matter over to the forestry Depart merit. ” The Minister said ho thought the forestry Department hail gone to the other extreme, with the result that values I wont up and a cry came from the millers and those owning the land. Quite a lot of timber had been destroyed in the North Islam! because the owners could not afford to leave it standing on account of the taxa tion being so great. A lot of it should not have been cut as it was not ready for cutting, and it would not pay to put down train titles to cot it out. All thc-e lots of scattered timber would be an asset to the country In some districts the roads w ere used entirely tor the haulage of timber and the county .councils were protecting themselves to some extent. In the big areas in the North Island the roads wore not used at ail a- the sawmillers found it more profitable to put tram lines down, and the whole of the timber was carried nn those lines There was anothoi tax, and it was a general tax on the community. That was the hospital lax. and (hero was no doubt that (he sawmilling community hone Cited more by that tax than any other sec lion of the people, especially in the North Maud. The accident rate in the industry was pretty high, anti the timber people wore escaping taxation in that direction. Uo had suggested the possibility of a snlu tion of the difficulty by means of a royalty charge. He had sim-gested Id or 2d per 100 feet H'-li nil worked out the quantity of milling timber at Id. and be thought that that sum would rield about the -ame revenue us the county councils wove getting now. Mr Wil«on said that was the onlv method that could he adopted if the Minister were ”of "oh; to tand bv the old valuation Mr M'Leod said he would probabh put a mnvimum of I . r ri to ?d or whatever was agreed upon, and each county council .-o-dd lew lens than that Vint not more. He had not rome to anv definite conclusion, hut his officers were into the ques t-on. It would have the effect that timber that could not he profitable milled at I present would bo destroyed, because the taxation was not paid until the timber was '

actually milled. He thought that was the fairest way. He knew the sawmillenwould fight to the last. Ho thought the Forestry League was anxious that timbei should not be destroyed. That body took up the attitude that it was a crime to cut down timber that should ne preserved foi future generations, but it admitted that the taxation was high, and that a roan must cut the trees down and put the land in grass. He would put something into the Act He did not know at present what it would be, but it would be enough to cause a controversy. That would give an opportunity for all sides to be heard. Mr Wilson said he wished to congratulate the Minister on the manner in which he had replied to the deputation. CLIFTON REVALUATIONS. A deputation consisting of Messrs W. Dolan vVright, and Grant then waited on Mr M'Leod to discuss the question ot revaluation of lands, with particular reference to the Clifton settlement. Air Dolan said there had been a revaluation at Clifton, hut the settlers had not got the benefits of the valuations that were recommended. At that time the prospects were much brighter in regard to produce, mutton, wool, and everything else oeing higher in price than they were today, and the settlers thought they would coma out well, they found now that adjoining sections were being brought down to a level below what they were paying, and they thought they were entitled at the very least to a valuation that would equalise maners • Mr M'Leod: You say you did not get t.ue induction which the Valuation Board recommended. How do you know that? Air Dolan. They all know it now. Mr Al'Leod said that if a man borrowed privately no nad to pay more than a man w0..1d pay if he borrowed from the Government. _-oian ; But ho is in a very different position. The speaker went on to refer to I lie sacrifices entailed in selling out and proceeding to the war, and added that ii prices had kept up they would have goi along fine. . .1- .u,rosier said that the position appeared to ho that, as long as tbo Government kept reducing the rent for one man, me whom lot would come back on it. Thu soldiers were very much inclined to say that others were getting things which they were not getting. Mr Dolan expressed the opinion that when a uoard valued a place its recommendations should be put into effect, especially as it was composed of local men, who know the district thoroughly. Mr M'Leod: 1 do not know how these recommendations came to be discussed. It is e.xti aordinary that, though the men arc sworn to secrecy, everybody is able to discuss the valuations. The valuation of Clifton win not for the settlers, but for the Crown, and should have been treated as a confidential report. He could not go into all the cases, because bo did not see all the evidence, hut in &0 per cent, of cases the head board had given bigger reductions than the local committees had given. Any n'ticism against, tile head hoard was very unfair. A lot of the district committees wept telling the settlers- one tale, while the reports in the papers showed quite a different one. That led the settlers to think the committees put in different reports from what they did. He understood that, members ot the head board had inspected the Clifton .settlement. Mr Dolan: They never came near mo. Mr IT.eod: That may bo so. Mr Dolan: We are looking to you to help us. Mr M'Leod: I shall refer the matter to 'ho head hoard .-.ad see what can be done. The question of accounts was briefly dis,iescfl, and Mr Al'Leod stated that the board was going into the current accounts as well ns the hind accounts, and its recommendations were forwarded to him. Reference to rates was also made, Mr Dolan stating that they were expecting rales at the old capital value. Air M'Leod said he admitted that they wore under a penalty and had some ground for complaint. The trouble was that the Valuation Department, said it was not prepared to accept the Lands Department’s valuation figures, and that it could not alter the roll until there was a general valuation. He thought thal on the whole that was quite fair In places where there was considerable soldiei settlement he was trying to push on with the valna tion of the whole district. Ho was sure that the County Councils would not be particularly hard on the settlers. When it came to the payment of rates the r--a -ority of the soldiers raid they were valued too high, and they compromised bypaying no rates at 00,

Mr Dolan; We are doing better than that. I do not think there is a man on t'lifton who has not done his best. Mr M‘Leod said the land boards wen. endeavouring to do their best for the soldier settlers as far as the law would allow them to do so. The department had no desire to put one man out and put another in at a lower rate If it were satisfied that a man was a genuine trier and could not make his place pay, it was better to reduce the price than to put him out and then reduce the price to a man who might be a worse farmer. In some cases the best effort was not put into Clifton in the first place. Mr Dolan said that three out of the five men who went off Clifton would have made good settlers if they had got the same chance as the other settlers got two years later. Mr M Lend said it was not an easy job to clean up the mess in connection with soldier settlement, and the Government had no desire to shift good men.v It had been found in hundreds of places that everybody was paid except the Government, which found it necessary to take a stand. Fie would discuss the matter with the commissioners and the Valuation Board and »ee what could bo done to secure an adjustment at fair values. A question in regard to improvements was raised by Mr Grant, who stated that he had had to pay heavily for improvements, while new settlers who were going in were not going to he charged for them. Mr M‘Leod said that all the settlers should be in the same position, but at the same time ho contended that there was altogether too much argument about what the other man was getting A man should he able to say whether his land was worth what he pair! for it or not. and if he were getting value ho should be satisfied, and it did not matter what his neighbour-was getting. It was hard for the land boards to deal with individual cases. There had been cases where the price of land has been reduced, say £3 per acre, and six months later the owner would sell out at £1 10s or £2 more than he paid. 1 his meant; a serious loss to the public, the settlers wore inclined to overlook the cheap rates of interest charged by the Government However, he would see what tie could do to meet their wishes. Mr MT.eod then proceeded to the show ground, and after having lunch as the guest of the A. ami P. Society, lie was an interested spectator at the show proceedings.