HILL COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 September 1924, Page 6

HILL COUNTRY.

LAND GOING BACK “MILLIONS OF ACRES.” APPEAL TO PARLIAMENT. MR. MASSEY SYMPATHETIC An earnest appeal for consideration for the hill country 'behind Taranaki made by Mr. R. Masters during the course of the Imprest Supply debate in House of Representatives led to a statement by Mr. Massey that if the Government solved the problem of th'ose lands by an outlay of £SO,(MM) it would be money well spent. “I want particularly to deal,” said Mr. Masters, “with the development of the back country, especially in the North Island. Taranaki is possibly one of the most closely settled provinces in New Zealand, if it is not actually the most closely settled, and, if we study the growth of population in that province it gives us grave cause for concern. While the population of Taranaki in 1916 was 55,790, in 1921 it had, according to the census, increased to 61,9b1, and it is interesting to note, where the increase took place. Out of the 6131 increase over that period, no less than 4788 occurred in the towns. It is a matter of serious moment to see many of our counties going back in their population.”

“55’Qiat is the reason ?” asked Mr. Masters. “Let us take, in the first instance, that portion of the country which stretches from the sVest Coast of the North Island right through to Wanganui. Some of the Ministers have been through that country, and 1 am sure they will agree that it is a sorry spectacle indeed to see millions of acres going back, as is the case just now, to what is nothing more or less than second growth. 1 have gone along the roads »n that district for miles and miles, seen house after house, section after section, one time occupied by settlers who were doing fairly well, now abandoned, with t'he land going to ruin. The grass has been dis-placed by second growth to a height of three, four, and five feet. I am not unmindful of what the Department, of Agriculture is doing. Although >t has taken a iong time to attempt anything in the direction of meeting existing conditions, there is a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing that the department is realising its duty. “A VERY HARD TIME.” “There are hundreds of thousands of acres of land that have cost from £6 to £7 an acre to bring up to a certain stage of production, but a large portion ot it is now abandoned, and the farmers that are left are having a very hard time. It is difficult to see how to tackle the problem, and I want to impress the Prime Minister and the members of the Cabinet with the necessity of voting a substantial sum of money to undertake this work. The State is vitally interested, as the owner of the land; it is interested from the point of view of its Crown tenants, its soldier settlers, and its finances, in the advances that have been made on mortgages on rhe land there. “In the 55 7 hangamomona country —1 am sorry to repeat this —we have no less than 15,000 acres of soldiers’ abandoned farms. Sections are vacant, fences have gone to ruin, and second growth in the way r.f carpet fern, water fern, bracken and wineberry growing up, and making the Government asset disappear all too quickly. It is no use making giants of £lOOO or £2000; if the officers of the department w*ho are interesting themselves can come to a conclusion. there is neicessity for spending a large sum.

The Minister of Agriculture; Do you suggest that this Government is responsible ? Mr. Masters', i do not suggest anything, and 1 wish t'he Minister to understand I am not raising the matter in any party sprit.

In conclusion. Mr. Masters said he had before him evidence from the Whangamomona County Council that they had no less t'han £1152 of soldiers’ land rates in arrears, whi.h they were unable to collect, on account of soldiers having left their farms. There was a sale recently in the neighbouring district of the member for 55’aitomo. in which 5324 acres of land were sold at 2LI an acre, the Government valuation of which was £7867. The Minister: What was the tenure? Mr. Masters: Freehold. The 6324 acres were soQd for £5O. PRIME MINISTER’S SYMPATHY. “This is one of the most serious difficulties the country has to face,” said the Prime Minister, “and it has to be faced. 1 have been over some of the country, and I remember what it was like some eight or ten years ago, but the land is . not so good to-day by a long way as it was then. There is probably half a million acres there which the settlers will have to abondon unless something is done <o keep them on the land, and t'he task should be undertaken as soon as possible.

An lion, member: i think there is ni'ore than ha'lf a million acres. Mr. Massey': Probably. Mr. Masters: There is a million acres ■between Awa'kino and 5V T aitotara. Mr. Massey: 55 7 lien the bush was originally felled and burned, and the grass seed sown on the ashes, the land did very well : ndeed, and the settlers were quite optimistic, but in recent years it has steadily gone back. Not being in the district. 1 cannot suggest a way out, but. if I was there, I would endeavour to understand what should be done to redeem that vast tract of country. I. consider )t is the duty of the Government to tackle it. It could not he done with a thousand or two: if it cost £50,000. an 1 if we were successful with the experiment, it would be money well sipent. (Hear, hear.) “I saw the statement about the land being worth only about 2|d an acre,” addt'd Mr. Massey. “1 say it would pay us to give those lands to good settlers who would improve them. There is no quest-ion about that.”