Opening Up Putaruru Back Country.

Putaruru Press, Volume XI, Issue 510, 23 February 1933, Page 1

Opening Up Putaruru Back Country.

RAILWAY OR ROAD ?

Request to County Council.

New Timber-milling Venture.

An effort to induce the Matamata County Council to bring the main highway from Putaruru to the southern county boundary up to a sufficiently high standard to carry timber traffic was made on Friday, when Mr. N. Cole, contractor, of ■ Auckland, waited on the council to further his proposition. ’ Briefly, the scheme was as follows . Mr. Cole to pay £250 cash and : royalty of 4d per 100 feet on ai estimated output of 30,000,000 feel of timber, over a period of 10 years In return the County Council t< bring the fifth-class portion of the Putaruru-Taupo road, as far as the county boundary, up to a fourthclass standard to carry 4|-ton motoi lorry timber traffic. The promoters of the scheme estimated that the cosl of the work would be £3OOO, and the return from the royalty £SOOO, and that their sawmilling venture in a portion of what is known as Rayner’s bush, would provide work foi 100 men for 10 years. With Mr. Cole was a business associate, Mr. Cashmore, of Cashmore Bros., sawmillers and timber merchants, Mr. W. Slaughter, officer-in-charge of unemployment, Auckland province, and Mr. F. S. Dyson, district engineer and chairman of No. 2 District Highways Council. This proposal had previously been submitted by Mr. Slaughter on behalf of Mr. Cole, to the Matamata Unemployment Committee, who referred the matter to the County Council. Council’s View of the Matter. The council, in declining the proposal, held that the T.T.T. railway line is the natural outlet for the Crown, native and private bush, and that the extension and raising of the standard of the present line would serve as an avenue to find employment for a large number of men, and develop all the bush and open up thousands of acres for settlement. Prior Discussion. Prior to the deputation arriving, the council briefly discussed the scheme, the essential features having been thoroughly threshed out by the council on many occasions during the past few years. Cr. J. W. Anderson (chairman) said the subsidy offered would not even pay for the upkeep of the road let alone bring it up to the standard asked for.

Mr. Cole said the county was gradually improving the road, and they offered to expedite this work. It would mean more men and money in the district. The chairman said Mr. Slaughter thought it was going to increase employment, but the council held as a result of the subsidy it would put others out of work. Mr. Cole said Cashmore Bros, would not mill the bush if they did not think they could sell the timber from it. Cr. Cox said the whole matter hinged on taking the timber out by the T.T.T. Company’s line as against the road. If Mr. Slaughter wanted to find work for his men he should go into the whole question of standing bush and the Perpetual Forests, and put in a line to serve the whole district. The road could not be used for such a big scheme and a railway was essential. Great scope for settlement would also be provided. The chairman: The 4d royalty would not pay maintenance costs let alone put the road in order. Cr. P. Dee: It is worth 9d at a minimum. Cr. Cox said there were at least another 14 miles of road from the county boundary to the bush, and this road would cost almost as much

-"to keep in order as the county secThe only economic method was

to take the timber out on the T.T.T. line. There was Government timber, T.T.T. timber, the Perpetual Forests plantations which could be tapped by a railway line, and also much land for settlement purposes. Cr. Pohlen: The scheme as I understand it is for the timber to be carted from Raynor’s bush to Putaruru.

The engineer: They do not say, as they may go past Putaruru.

Cr. Pohlen said that it meant 16 miles of road to be metalled. It seemed to him a most unpractical scheme.

Cr. White supported the chairman’s contention that it was unfair to establish a new mill, against existing mills, by unemployed labour. Cr. Cox said that Mr. Dyson knew the scheme from A to Z and was an excellent man to be in charge. The main scheme would tap a million acres of ploughable land, and was one which could absorb almost all of the unemployed and provide for settlement in the future. Cr. Morriss pointed out that it was not an economic proposition to bring in new land now. Cr. E. Nickle: It would provide for the future. Cr. Cox pointed out that if the main scheme was developed it would absorb all of the unemployed. The chairman: The road scheme is no good to the county. Cr. Cox: We could never maintain a 4-ton road. There is good blue metal on Watt’s farm which could be brought down by the T.T.T. The Board’s Point of View. When the deputation arrived Mr. | Slaughter opened by saying that the j Unemployment Board’s object was to i create employment rather than just ! to relieve unemployment. On the ! face of it the scheme submitted by ; Mr. Cole was a good one, as the suggestion was that it created employment. The matter had been referred to the Matamata Unemployment Committee, who referred his letter to the County Council. He had noted the points in the council’s reply, but such a question as that of subsidising the T.T.T. railway line was one he could not discuss. He was simply j concerned with finding reproductive work for the unemployed. Mr. N. Cole said he had, as owner of part of Raynor’s bush, an offer to work same. He had approached the Labour Department, who had promised assistance and he now asked the council to assist by bringing the road up to standard. There were about seven miles of road not fourth-class which they sought to bring up to that standard which ! would carry the timber traffic. ! Mr. Anderson asked if there was I an increased demand for timber to warrant another mill being erected.

Mr. Cole said that business went these days to those who had courage to go after it. There was much unemployment in the building trade, yet he had managed to keep his staff going. '

Cr. K. S. Cox said there were four mills in the district already, and they could not sell their output, but were on part time. The engineer said Cashmore Bros, were at present buying from the T.T.T. and the subsidy would therefore put T.T.T. men but. of work in order to start others elsewhere.

Mr. Slaughter said his view was that the scheme meant increased production, and timber from the district finding a new market. It was up to Cashmore Bros, to sell the timber. The Essential Point. Cr. J. Pohlen said the essential point was whether the road would stand up to this extra traffic. The county had to protect its ratepayers from extraordinary traffic and extraordinary expense. He felt it was a great pity that some scheme could not be worked out whereby all timber from the district could be brought down over the existing T.T.T. line, for he was satisfied the road would not carry the traffic. The engineer said the road was only wide enough in many places for one-

way traffic. With the extra traffic it would be dangerous and to obviate this futher expense would be involved. Cr. Cox said the road had been j closed for motor lorry traffic every , winter, yet eight inches of metal j was now down to two inches. To I make the road fit for timber traffic | | would mean 10 cubic yards of metal .to the chain. The only metal suitj able would have to come from Te i Aroha. There was blue metal on the | T.T.T. line which would not help competitors to that extent. The cost to the county would be greater i than the timber was worth. If the I big scheme was gone on with it | would absorb all the unemployed in New Zealand. From the ratepayers’ ( point of view the scheme was not a I sound one. Mr. Cashmore: The trouble is you can’t deal with the T.T.T. Company. Cost to County. Cr. Cox: Yes you can. The T.T.T. Company work under an Order-in-Council and the Railway Department could shut up the first six miles of their line to-morrow. If all interested came together an arrangement could be made in regard to the line. Metal for the road cost 14s at Putaruru, and 25s extra for carting to the road. It was an impossible proposition from the county point of view. Mr. Cole: Surely you want your district to go ahead. I recognise your difficulty, but surely we can come to some arrangement so that the road may be used by a new in- , dustry. Mr. Slaughter asked if the council ( could make a suggestion to put he- ( fore the Unemployment Board with , a view to developing the district. Such a recommendation would carry ■ weight with the Railway Department, , the Public Works Department and . the Unemployment Board. , ,

Ready to Outline Scheme.

The chairman said the council was not prepared to support the scheme suggested, but could outline a scheme for the board.

The engineer said three commissions had sat and reported on the line, and the head engineer of the Forestry Department had lived in the district for four months in an endeavour to solve the problem. Mr. Slaughter said that not an hour of work being done was reproductive work, and if they bore that in mind it would help. When the commissions sat the unemployed were not available and the endeavour of the board was to put these men in reproductive work. Cr. Pohlen replied that Cr. Cox had put forward such a scheme to absorb the unemployed. The point was who was to work out the details: the Unemployment Board or the Minister? He did not think it was a work for the council.

Mr. Slaughter replied that he did not expect the council to work out the details, but they might outline a scheme. Cr. Pohlen then moved that a scheme which would serve the whole district be outlined and sent to the unemployment office in Auckland.

Cr. E. Nickle seconded the motion. Mr. Slaughter said he would support the scheme.

Cr. Cox said the position was different now to what it was eight or 10 years ago. Mr. Cole’s timber would be worth Is a 100 feet extra in two years if a line was put in, as his bush was only two miles from the T.T.T. line, and he would be saved the heavy cost of road carting. Mr. Cole said there was no hope of dealing with the T.T.T. If his offer was not high enough he asked the council to state a figure.

Cr. Cox said that the T.T.T. line had never been operated to capacity. In the boom only four trains a week ran, and there were only three now. At least 12 trains a week should run on the line to bring down the overhead and this would be possible if all got together. Mr. Cole thought the council would have been pleased to have some life and men about the district.

Optimists Become Pessimists. The chairman: Our experience is that people with milling schemes come to us as optimists but later i turn pessimists. (Laughter.) Mr. Slaughter said that he thought J the weakness was that the Govemf ment gave a subsidy to , provide access by main highway to give business people and others access to their properties. Cr. Cox replied that a few years ago the road only cost the council £3OO a year to maintain, but now it cost over £2OOO. In addition the first six miles had been bituminised, the I interest and sinking fund for which cost £IOOO a year. Apart from the subsidy rates had doubled on the road and ratepayers were in a far worse position to-day. The deputation then withdrew, Mr. Cole remarking jocularly that they appeared to be in sleepy hollow. He hoped, however, that the council would put up a proposition so that the road could be used.