A PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14937, 16 June 1919, Page 4

A PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT.

~~ _»l ADVANCEMENT OF THE EAST COAST. OUTLINE D BY THE, HON. W. J). S Mac DONALD. A bold forward movement m connection with the development of the Gis borne district and the East Coast generally was outlined by -the- Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald, Minister of Mines and Agriculture," prior to his departure Soutl last evening. The Minister said he was gratified tc see the strong revival of interest local ly m the need for both the East Coast railway and main arterial road facilities, and he welcomed the co-operation of the public bodies of the East Cottst, which was essential to back up the representations of tho Parliamentary representatives. He commended the efforts of the Harbor Conference to obtain a solution of this difficult problem, and he believed that with the conclusion of the great war and the return of the men who had been away on active service a sound progressive policy should be initiated. The whole question of acquiriug hind for soldier settlement and the general" development of Gisborne, Wairoa, and the Bay of Plenty districts had been the. subject of discussion . between Sir James Carroll, the Hoii. A. T. Ngata, and. himself m connection with their respective electorates, and they , believed that if a bold development scheme for the East Coast was laid down by the Government the most satisfactory 'results would be obtained. LAND FOR SOLDIERS. Referring first to the acquisition, of land for soldier settlement, Mr.. MacDonald said .he felt sure that the visit of Mr. Ritchie, chairman of the Land Purchase Board, would result m some business being done, and that at last some areas of suitable land would be .secured for the settlement of. returned soldiers. Several properties ...had been placed wider offer, both at .Tolaga Bay and m the neighborhood of Gisborne, and these were at present the subject of inspection and negotiation. He had endeavored to stress the urgent necessity for suitable land being offered to the Government at a reasonable figure, failing which the only, remedy was the application of the compulsory clauses of the Act. As he had on previous occasions pointed out, the high price of land which prevailed locally had been ono of the great difficulties, and tlie duty devoled upon tho Government to see that m placing men on the land they had a reasonable chance of making tho proposition a success. The purchase of an -estate as a going concern was one proposition., but .it was quite another matter when that land had to ho sub-divided and -roaded. Adequate road facilities, wer© essential, but the cost of this work had of course to be

made a charge on tho land. A solution of the difficulty, he believed j could be afforded by the setting aside of something like" communal Settlements. For instance, m. the case of a large block, the Government could provide decent road access to * a suitable part of the block where the homestead sites could be laid out together and -reasonable facilities provided m the "Way of education, post and telegraph, hydro-electric power, and other conveniences which would make for the benefit and enjoyment of those on the land. A large central woolshed and yards could be erected, and the same coiild be worked on cooperative lines. By this means the cost of roading might be reduced m the cost of a large block from £10.000 to, say, £2,000, and the problem of homestead sites might be solved and happy and' progressive farming communities might be established. <<[ Apart, -however, from the desirability and importance of settling the pastoral hill country, he had particularly emphasised the urgent necessity of the Government cutting up some of the rich flats surrounding Gisborne,. and to his mind it was wrong that large estates should stand as a bar to general settlement. I . . Despite the high price lie did not think the Government could co wrong. VIGOROUS POLICY WANTED. The repatriation-; of New Zealand's soldiers, the Minister went on to say, must be closely associated with the development of its resources if it 1 is -to succeed. Development is largely a North Island problem, the cheap lands of the East Coast (Mohaka to East Cape), the Bay of Plenty, the pumice belt and North Auckland must receive greater attention than m the past. A vigorous and well-planned policy of public works must be co-ordinated throughout with a. policy of land settlement — the former preceding the latter „ and providing scope for/ immediate repatriation by employing returned men onpublic works. On theEast Coast between Napier and the East Cape the close settlement of land cannot be : successfully prosecuted without the following requirements, which only a. vigorous policy of public works can meet. (a) Pushitatg on , to completion the Napier-Gisborne railway and the Gis-borne-Auckland railway. |' (b) Providing by the harnessing of Waikarembana a cheap and . reliable '. power, for freezing works, dairy factor- *; ies, haulage on steep grades of the railway, lighting, etc., small shearing plants, etc. (c) - Completing the main arterial road . , to permit of motor transport throughout the year. '-. POSSIBILITIES OF PUMICE COUNTRY. In the Bay, of Plenty the land problem depends on the nature of the land to be settled. This is where there are the greatest possibilities for settlement and repatriation. Pumice belt, taking m Taiipo, Hot Lakes district and West Urewera dis- . trict. — Here are wide arable plains, Huge - timber areas and the chief afforestation "■ areas of the North Island. 'This belt is the easiest m the North Island to rail and . Toad. The timber * areas mTe Whaiti, west of Te Whaiti (Heruiwi block) Yand south-west of Te Teko are . the/ last untouched areas of totara, rimu, matai, and white pine .m the North ;Island. These areas can be tapped' by two railway lines (a) either a continuation of the Putaruru-Mokau line or a line from Rotorua to Te Whaiti, (b)Ya line from Galatea by Te Teko to join -the Whakatane-Tauranga line. The public works m this belt must , precede and so make possible settle*mint, because cheap transport alone can . overcome the immense handicap of - '". breaking mby the plough the arable pumice- flats. There must; be a period of -preparation during which the railways ■\ -could be. pushed on— -scientific planting of tree belts carried out on, the pumice plains to serve both, as future timber reserves and as . shelter for. the farms— the prospecting, of water .-; supplies for irrigation .and farm use prosecuted,, aud -v the Forestry Department can demar- \ eate the'yirgin tiniber lands which.bor- \ der on the pumice belt. It must be \ borne m mind that the possible source of hydro-electric power for tlie Waikatc and Auckland districts is, in' the centre of the pumice belt; ' supplementary supplies" are also abundant. In fact,- the conditions are ideal for the introduction ''•■ of hy(lro-electric ppwer for cheap trnn'ss > port ,oLmahrures on light railways and • the cheap hajilage of timber to main '■?•*&&&& PREPARATION. This period^bf preparation should see the employment of a,; large number of returned men on. all classes of work- from the heaviest railway construction to the lightest* work on, tyee planting. An inducement beheld out to all who may take on permanent job? on the public works, here. thaiiJ^ey will be given special facintie** to. bbjtain farms. A scientific, , branch • <of .work , manped by ther Department . of Agriculture (to ■study the soil requirements, etc.), the Itep.artment (for the_ afforestation ■'and study, ■of the .virgin timber area*),** wd inc. Weather ( . Bureau „ (to study the prevailing winds arid the moisture conditions and ,so locate ■ lines "' 'for the tre.e_»beit6)^-*hpuld be instituted^ and organised., iwns4|ately ',in, ( the form of an ; X^o^GvAtiaaiX,^^eYiment Station. The Bhould rendca .-poßßible pumping st^t-jjn** betwen. Taupe and Te Whaiti if.it is found necessarj to lift water to reservoirs for irrigatiot and other purposes.

Tlie pumice lands when ready for settlement can be almost given away. Mosl Of these were acquired Hor a- song .irv.-fchc old jdays. They have cost the -country nothing during the last half-century. Even Heruiwi, th© timber block, was bought at 2s 6d an acre. In fact, eyery indujcement should be offered to returned soldiers with families to take up land there. The bush lands of the Urewera Country and the rich plains of Whakatane with the reclaimed swamp lands borI dering on the sea are well known. The settlement of the Urewera lands. at Rytohtt and the Waimana Valley must run side; by side with the pushing along of tho j Tauranga-'Opotiki, railway and the . construction of two-: main roads to connect'with tho railway. The immediate construction of a main traffic road from Opotiki to Cape Runaway is very important for the settlers who-. aro working the large pastoral areas' now undergoing, development. The stock from her©', must either go to the proposed new freezing works at Hick's Bay or work down to the plains of Opotiki, Waikate, fKutarere, Waimana, and | J-Vhakatane. They will be the reservoirs of breeding ewes and store cat : tie to be used m fattening on the rich flats. -v — . rrr—r ; —