A MINISTERIAL TOUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 3915, 26 March 1929, Page 51

A MINISTERIAL TOUR.

MR VEITCH IN CENTRAL OTAGO.

WIDE VARIETY OF REQUESTS. . ALEXANDRA, March 22. The Minister of Mines and of Labour (Mr W. A. Veitch) commenced tour of Central Otago on Wednesday, reaching Alexandra late in the evening after a long and busy day. He left Invercargill in the morning accompanied by Miss Veitch and Mr W. A. Bodkin, member for Central Otago, and went into the irrigation districts via Lawrence and Roxburgh, receiving deputations en route. Yesterday morning he continued his journey through Clyde, Cromwell, to the Upper Clutha, whence he returned to Cromwell in the evening. He will arrive in Dunedin to-day. AT LAWRENCE. A deputation from the Tuapeka Borough Council, headed by the Mayor (Mr J. K. Simpson), and introduced by Mr Bodkin, drew the attention of the Minister to the constant menac< to the township that was occasioned- by the present condition of the Wetherstones Creek. Tie disastrous flood of September, 1927, was recalled, and it was pointed out that owing to the bringing down of tailings the bed of the stream had been raised to a dangerous degree. Protective works were required immediately if the borough were to be free from the danger of floods.

Mr Veitch inspected the danger points, and promised that he would confer with his colleagues on the matter when he returned to Wellington. The Minister was also taken to the Wetherstones Flat, where prospecting operations in respect to. cement deposits are being carried out with Government assistance.

Other representations made to the Minister included requests for electric lighting at the railway station and in the two police residences in the borough. In the connection with the two last-named matters it was contended that the Gov eminent should carry out the suggestions if only to keep abreast of the times and set an example to the district people in making the most of the pow-r facili ties at their disposal.

MILLER’S FLAT REQUIREMENTS. Members of the Tuapeka County Council waited on the Minister at Miller’s Flat, urging immediate action on the part of the Government in respect to the Owen Hil Creek, which, it was stated, had originally run through three channels, but which had been diverted into one at the time that the railway line was constructed. The work had not ’been efficiently carried out, with the result that securing had followed, causing extv., ive damage fo first-class farming land. Recent rains had increased the damage, and at tho- present time the menace was spreading to other land. The s] akers said that the matter had bee referred to the previous Minister of Public Works, who had had plans of the reposed work drawn up, bur nothing had been done. It was felt in the district that unless something really substantial were done very soon a great deal of land would be spoiled. In hl) about 1 settlers were affected. Mr I citch undertook to represent tbe urgency of the case tc *-he Minister of Public Yorks. HEAVY TRAFFIC LICENSES.

A d; nutation representing local lorryowners also waited on the Minister at Milb r’ Flat in reference to the possible adopt' by the Government of a differential. .ate in respect to heavy traffic licens- . It was suggested that if the Minis y of Transport decided to put such a principle into practice, special eon sidera ion should be given to those motor lorry owners who were feeders to the railw y. It was pointed out that such lorric should be subject to a lighter tax than those which were running in compete' n with the railways. Minister said that this was., one of i matters that would be considered by e Transport Advisory Council when that body had been set up. S 'BSIDIES FOR PROSPECTORS. " e question of further Government as tance for prospecting parties was bi ght up by a deputation which met tl Minister at Roxburgh. Several S’ hers urged the necessity for increased s idies for this work. It was pointed o that the cost of every commodity ]■ luced in this country had risen duri ■ the past few years with the except nof gold. But although the value of i 3 produce remained the same the cost < production had gone up with everything else. The costs incidental to gold mining at the present time were such that the returns did not justify the expenditure. One speaker suggested that a subsidy should be paid to miners on the gold won. Mr Veitch said that this was a matter that Jiad been brought before his notice in all the goldfield districts in the country, and he was at present giving the matter the closest consideration. He would make an announcement about it at the earliest possible moment. Still, there was one point that had been raised to which he was strongly opposed. He would certainly not. consent to an arrangement whereby a subsidy would be paid on the gold won by miners. That was an economically unsound proposal which could not be entertained. Anything that was done in the way of subsidising this particular industry Would' apply only to genuine prospectors.

UNSIGHTLY TAILINGS. The unsightly tailings in the vicinity of the township of Roxburgh were the subject of representations from the Borough Council. The Minister was asked if he would place before the Commissioner of State Forests the necessity for having these tailings, which covered an area of about 200 acres, planted with trees. ■ They .were an eyesore to the district. It was. stated that pines had already been planted in some'parts, and they had all thrived. If the Government would plant the whole area the district would be benefited in a twofold manner, as the trees would add to the scenic attractions of the place, and they would at the same time provide a large quantity of valuable timber in the years to come.. ’

The Minister promised to place the matter before Mr W. B. Taverner at the earliest possible moment. IRRIGATION MATTERS.

A large deputation of irrigation settlers was waiting for the Minister when he arrived at Alexandra late in the evening, about 50 or GO being present at the Council Chambers to impress upon the third member of the new Government to visit Alexandra, the necessity of immediate action in regard to the problems and difficulties of irrigation settlements throughout Central Otago. The deputation was introduced by Mr Bodkin, and there were several speakers. The representations were to the Galloway and Ida Valley settlements, in which the settlers are a.

cerning the adequacy of the supply of water that will be available in future years. The Minister was asked to give his support to the proposal to build a new reservoir in the Poolburn watershed to augment the supply that is at present drawn from the Manorburn.

The position in the Ida Valley and Galloway settlements is that the water has been oversold to some extent, and although there has been no shortage this season, there is a danger that in a dry year the Public Works Department will not be able to deliver full quotas of water to every settler. The dam now serves an area of about 14,000 acres, and it. is considered that in order to supply that area the construction of the Poolburn dam is absolutely -imperative. The engineer-in-chief of the Public Works Department (Mr F. W. Furkert) has estimated the cost of the at between £40,000 and £50,000,' and the settlers’ proposal does not include any provision for their making any contribution to the cost of the dam through the payment of increased rates for water. Whatever return the Government gets for the outlay of such a sum will be in the form of charges on any new land that might be brought into the scheme. Mr Veitch said he had been anxious to see something of the work that was being done in the irrigation settlements of Central Otago as the Cabinet would have to come to some decision on a great many difficult points in that connection, and when the time came he wanted to know a little about the matters hat were under discussion. He promised to go into the whole question thoroughly with his colleagues when he returned to Wellington, and he also accepted the invitation of settlers to visit the neighbouring settlements and see for himself what was being done under irrigation. Later the Minister expressed amazement at the development that had followed the introduction of irrigation.

CROMWELL DEPUTATIONS. POSSIBILITIES OF UPPER CLUTHA VALLEY. Cromwell district residents make no secret of their unbounded confidence in the potentialities of the great undeveloped territory of the Upper Clutha Valley. They had an endless variety of requests and representations to make to the Minister of Mines and of Labour (Mr W. A. Veitch) when he arrived at Cromwell from the southern lakes late this evening, and all had a direct or indirect bearing on the development of the hinterland and the exploiting of the resources already available. There was a large meeting of settlers and townspeople. Mr \V. A. Bodkin accompanied the Minister and introduced the various .matters brought forward. Mr T. B. Phillips, on behalf of the Ripponvale settlers, urged the Government to do something quickly to alleviate the position of settlers on the Cromwell Development Company’s land. The chief points stressed were a greater supply of water, which was obtainable only if the Government took over the scheme, and additional land for the settlei already in the district. The appeal was in the same strain as that made to Messrs G. W. Forbes (Minister of Lands and of Agriculture) and E. A. Ransome (Minister of Public Works) last month, and the Development • Company was again roundly denounced for its stewardship. Several speakers commended to the Minister’s consideration the establishment of an irrigation scheme to cover the Cromwell and Pisa Flats, and incidental to this was a renewal of the request for the long-delayed construction of the Hawea-Wanaka hydro-electric scheme at a cost of £3,000,000. . Minister was assured that the district could easily afford a return for this expenditure that would more than pay interest on such a sum, and considerable data was produced in the way of figures to show that the power could be produced at a little more than 50 per cent, of what it cost to produce power at Waipori, which, according to one speaker, was the envy \of the' whole ■ Don'iinioh. ■ ' ' ‘

Hydro-electric power, with its', possibi.li ties for irrigation and pro4uCtion, served

as an introduction to the vexed question of closer settlement in Central Otago The Land Board was again the target for numerous thrusts, and it was obvious from the applause which followed that the opinion of one speaker “ that the land laws which are wrong in themselves conic not have been administered with less judgment and more disregard for the rights of landless people than they nave been in Central Otago. The administra tion has been intolerable, absolutely no sense of responsibility being evident in the conduct of those at the head of affairs.”

Mr F. A. Partridge, in urging closer settlement and the subdivision of Cromwell’s numberless large runs, coupled Dunedin with Cromwell in regard to retrospection and lack of progress. It was all the result of the land laws which Central Otago was locking to Mr Bodkin to have repealed. Mr R. Bretherton, on behalf of the scores of landless men in the town and district looking for holdings, urged the subdivision,, of the Pisa country and Hitcomplete revision of the personnel of the Land Board.

The perennial question of artesian water on the Cromwell Flat was put for ward by two local enthusiasts, and Mill. G. Vareoe produced a great budget of figures and material to show why the railway from Cromwell to Luggate should be put in band forthwith. The matter was strongly urged upon the Minister at Ilawea Flat earlier in the day. Mr C. Hannan made an eloquent pie:: for the motor lorry owners and drivers operating between the railhead and the Upper Clutha Valley who, he sail, were being taxed out of business, despite the fact that they were feeding the railways instead of running in opposition. At tho conclusion Mr Bodkin stressed the extreme urgency of the land .ttlement question in Central Otago, and related several instances of the Land Board’s anomolous and. to him, totally inexplicable conduct. He quoted Gov ernment engineers, including Mr F. W Furkert, in s>”»>ort of the HaweaWanaka hydro-electric scheme, and re quested the Minister to use his best endeavours to move Cabinet in the direction of providing one of the most fertile and promising regions of New Zealand with the facilities necessary to its adequate development. Mr Veitch, in reply, said he himself had been very much impressed with the country he had travelled through, and he complimented the settlers upon the exceptional faith and confidence they displayed in their district. In respect to their various requirements, he suggested that they should not expect everything all at once. They should concentrate on one thing at a time.- Once they got the Roaring Meg water and produced the goods they could expect the railway to be put in. He was glad to have had an opportunity to learn first-hand of their difficulties and requirements, as he would now be able to discuss all these matters intelligently when they came up for consideration by the Cabinet, as they certainly would at an early date. Mr Veitch will leave Cromwell tomorrow morning for Dunedin. To-mor-row evening the settlers here will repeat this evening’s requests to the Minister of Railways (Mr W. B. Taverner), who arrived at Queenstown to-day from Invercargill. and who will visit the various towns in the province on his way back to Dunedin.

Centra] Otago settlers recognise no barriers of portfolio, and are determined to impress upon every member of the Government with whom they can get into touch the marvellous potentialities of a district whose resources are as yet unknown as the land itself is practically unexplored. When Mr Taverner leaves Cromwell on Sunday he will be the fourth member of the Cabinet to receive this combination of deputations in the space of a few weeks.