NUMEROUS DEPUTATIONS

Thames Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 17579, 19 March 1929, Page 5

NUMEROUS DEPUTATIONS

TO MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS PLAINS SETTLERS .ACTIVE. \FAVOURABLE REPLIES GIVEN. (Special Reporter.) NGATEA, March 19. Thys morning the H on - E. A. Ran--aom, and Messrs A. M. Samuel and A. W. Hall, M.P.’s for Thames and Hau•raki electorates, respectively, met a of deputations from settlers. Waitakaruru Canal. Headed by Mr C- W. Harris, of Wailakaruru, the first of these registered ..a complaint that the rates collected y,y the Lands Department were not ■atsed on the Waitakaruru canal. The Minister stated if this money was accumulating, as the settleis stated, then he saw no reason why it should nob: be spent on the canal. Hudson’s Bridge. The party then visited Hudson’s (bridge, a tumble-down structure, foi which Mr Harris asked for a free to replace it. The party then viewed the Wai-takaruru-Morrinsville road in torrential rain. Mr Harris, on behalf of the •(Settlers, asked for a £4 to £1 subsidy. This the Minister promised to look into. ■' - With regard to the front Miranda Road, for which was asked a grant of £2 to £1 outside the automatic allocation, and with regard to the back Miranda Road, for which was asked n, grant in aid of continuing the metalling, the Minister promised to look into these matters, and gave the settlers a favourable hearing. The Waitakaruru Settlers’ Association provided morning tea for the party ■ at Mr C. Stretton’s residence, and ‘the party then came on'to Ngatea. Hopai Road. At Ngatea, Mr E. L. Walton welcomed the party on behalf of the County. Dealing with the Hopai Road extension, Councillor Parfitt stressed ' the need of the formation and metalling of 90 chains. The County had legalised the road and the money had been placed on the Estimates the late Government at the rate of £2 for £l. Apparently there had been some since the Department would only subsidise metalling. The speaker wished the Minis- ' ter to allow the subsidy to include the formation of the road, which -meant digging a roadside drain. The -settlers would themselves do the fencing. Campbell’s Road. The next matter was in the hands of -Councillor J. C. Miller. This was -Campbell’s Road. He said the Coun- | «fil would only ask for real necessities Cm the case of Campbell’s Road. The settlers had never asked the Government for a shilling for the old mud road. These settlers had an outlet eastward, and to save two miles of mud road and then retrace their steps the Council had decided the best way was to put 84 chains of road through private property. The Council had liad to take the land under the Public Works Act, and the question of •compensation wa? then raised. The Minister Eflsked: Is the new road then no good to the people whose property it passed through? Cr Miller: Only to those at the back. Others have already a frontage. Cr Miller asked for the Government to assist to form Campbell’s Road, and then the settlers would form a special rating area to metal it. He asked for a grant of £250. The settlers would do the rest. Tall Fescue. Cr Miller then mentioned the tall fescue, which he stated was the worst weed on the Plains, and although it ?:3iad not been declared a noxious weed 5t had put soldiers off their farms and - now the Lands Department was practically giving away the land at £4 an b.cre, which, if clear of fescue, was • worth £3O. Mr Ransom: I know what tall fes- • cue is. It is not peculiar to Hauraki. It is very bad in Manawatu, where - they control it by ploughing. Cr Miller: If it is proclaimed a - noxious weed in the whole country it ■ would ruin many farms. Mr Ransom: I can’t do that. It is ’ like Californian thistle. Cr Miller said It was his desire to • make a certain proclaimed area where fescue would be a noxious weed, and be instanced a case at Turua which he stated soon would not be found for fescue. Soldier settlers had told him It was only a matter of time when the fescue would push all settlement off the Plains. A Roading Rate. The next matter, said Mr Walton, was the place where progressiveness Jhad penalised the settlers in the. case v -of a roading rate. Cr Madgwick said his riding practically was the only freehold land on the Plains, and its settlers had to build all their own roads. About five .years ago the settlers had gone in tfor a loan for bitumen, and when they had done this they had not expected the- petrol tax, hence the rates were very heavy. They had, however, a subsidy of 5/- in the £, but now the petrol tax had come on which built the other fellows’ roads. He asked that the petrol tax should be used to alleviate the special rates incurred by - .settlers, who had made their own roads. Mr Ransom said he was glad to • discuss tire settlers’ problems, and he wished to gain first-hand knowledge. - -These requests brought before him by • these councillors were most reason-

■* * ~ I Mrif'llil'lil l 111 able, and he would give them favourable consideration.

With regard to Campbell’s' Road, 1 the Minister said he. would assure them that he would make a, liberal grant. He could almost say he would grant what they asked, but he must first see other districts. With regard to Hopai Road the request was also reasonable, and he would grant assistance. In the question of tall fescue he agreed that where the land was clean it must be kept clean. Settlers must be compelled to awake to the menace and forced out of their attitude of indifference. He intended to bring the matter to the notice of the Agricultural Department, with a recommendation that legislation \o this effect be enacted, not only against fescue, but against all noxious weeds. The question of a subsidy on bitumen roads was a very difficult one. The only thing that could be done was to set aside retrospective periods for which the grants would be made —for instance, Taranaki woke up to the necessity of bitumen roads longbefore the Highways Board was thought of. He would limit the period to recently-made roads and he believed the Government intended to deal with the matter by legislation next session. “I have not met anyone yet who seriously objects to the petrol tax. It is a fair way of collecting money.” The -Minister then promised assistance to all requests put before him by the Council. Mr Hall 'then . thanked Mr Ransom and congratulated the Council on the reasonableness of their requests. He was already doing h.is best in the matter of tall fescue, and promised them a visit from the Hon. G. W. Forbes. The party were then entertained to lunch by councillors.