THE IDA VALLEY RUN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2691, 11 October 1905, Page 27

THE IDA VALLEY RUN.

Mr A. D. Bell's letter to the Commissioner of Lands on the question of the surrender of the Ida Valley run, published by us els-Jivharo, was- rendered somewhat obscure by errors which occurred in telegraphing it. The following! is a collect copy of the letter: — Shag Valley Station, August 28, 1905. The Commissioner of Crown Lands 1 .

Sir, — I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your memo, inquiring the terms upon which the Ida Valley run might be presently surrendered. In reply I would point out that the sudden and complete stoppage of a business which has been carried on in the same hands for nearly 50 years is a very serious matter, and I fee! s\ire that the Lands Committee will readily accord a reasonable time for the consideration of the exceedingly difficult question they have directed you to put. I venture, however, respectfully to suggest that the opinion of competent judges, such as yourself, might usefully be sought upon the question whether land of the uniformly poor and rocky character and scanty vegetation of Ida Valley could possibly stand any artificial lpading of rent at all, such as the payment of compensation to present lessees would presumably involve. It must be lemembered that over 26,000 acres of the best and lowest country has already been resumed out of our run, and the attempt to cut what is left into small aareas with any possibility of successful occupation, is an infinitely graver q\iestion than, naturally, the Government has ever had to face while only concerned, as hitherto, with parcelling out to others the picked areas of our run. If such laud could at best bear (in small grazing runs) no artificial loading of rent — and I have absolutely no doubt what y&ur opinion must be on the point, as you knew,' the country — is not the Land Committee's 1 inquiry almost sure to resu t in occasioning to both that body and ourselves much profitless thought and labour?— l have, etc., A. D. Bell.