RESERVE AT PURU.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10129, 11 December 1911, Page 2

RESERVE AT PURU.

UETTiEIRI TO' BOUNTY -C<3'TJNCIL.

| TJie following letters have beon: ; received by the Thames County j Council, and explain themselvesi:—■ | iFromi the Minister of Public j Works: '"■Referring to your letter of I 3tlfet October, addressed to the Min--, ister in charge of the Tourist De- ' partment, and which was referred to I the depa.rtment for action, I have ' (now obtained a report from Mir J. B. Thompson, land drainage engineer, Thames, on the subject.: In letter you a«k that certain lands should i be reserved -as pleasure resorts. The I Government^ has no power to take j Native land for this purpose, but in ' accordance with the provisions of. the | Counties Act and Municipal Corporations Act the County or ..Borough, has ! full power to take land for recreation purposes under the Public Works Act, and I think this is the : proper course for your Council to ; ; take. It would then be auite in or- ■ der for you to approach the Govarn- . ment for a subsidy towards the purj chase of these lands. A copjr _ of Mr ■ Thomjpsonfs r)eport is iuttaiched for.l i your information. Ais to land at . Kerepeehi to which you refer, it is Niative land, most of which is held under lease by.-, Europeans, and the balance is occupied by the M!aoiis themselves." \ I The copy of Mr Thompson's report to the TJnder-Secretary for Liands refeired to was <as follows; — j "The area at Puru consiists of por-. tions of the Putumahoe and THtu '_ blocks, as well as the wliole of the , Puhau and Te Aputa Blocks. Tbe \ total area is 211 acres I rood, and ' ' at present Messre Mitchell Bros, hold . a lease,over it, but as to what the , I tenure is I cannot say. It is abo.it .eight miles by road from Thames, | ' and, as a good landing could be obitained at the southern extremity, it would be easily accessible by land or ; sea. The area is fenced and in grass ( ! and scattered afbout it are fine speci-. • mens of ■ the pohutukawa, karaka, ■ land wokhai. As this is .-the;-first flat : land between the road and the sea ! after leaving, Tararu, it is evident that it would make an ideal public domain, suitable both for picnics and sport. If the whole piece could not 'I be obtained, I would suggest that | we take a part at the northern end; value £15 to £20 per acre. The area referred to at Waiomo consists of five acres of the Waiomo block, and is situated to the south of a stream 1 of the same name. It is in grass, but is not fenced, although there is ' a wharf built on it. The beach at the I northern end is rough," but towards jthe suothern end it tiecomes sandy. Alt present there is a wharf at ealsily readied by land or sea; valua, : £.10 per acre /about). Both thosj Ipieoes -Would make spendid public domains, but more so the area at Puru on account of the native tnes upon it whioh are now becoming rare, and which give the whole place a park-like appect. I therefore recommend that an enqeavour foe made to acquire the portion of land at ( Puru only, if it can be advantage-. ously obtained." ' j