DEVELOPMENT OF TIMBER IN KING COUNTRY MOOTED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18585, 10 October 1928, Page 6

DEVELOPMENT OF TIMBER IN KING COUNTRY MOOTED.

INTERVENTION BY THE GOVERNMENT ASKED. (Special to the “Star.”) WELLINGTON, October 9. That there is a prospect of the early development of the largest area of standing timber in New Zealand, in, the Taupo-Tongariro district, was the outstanding fact which emerged in the House of Representatives to-day on the presentation of a report by the Native Affairs Committee on the petition of Natives in the Taupo area asking that certain leases they had granted to the Tongariro Timber Company be cancelled and that the timber revert to the Maoris. No recommendation was made by the committee. The area, in question was the largest tract of standing timber in New Zealand, said Mr R. W. Smith (Waimarino). There were 45,000 acres, carrying 32,000 feet board measurement to the acre. The Tongariro Standing Timber Company now proposed to exploit the timber, having already made arrangements with a large number of millers to get the timber out and so secure to the Natives substantial royalties. . At present there were 800 men deprived of employment in the timber industry, but if this proposition prc| ceeded they would be re-established oil a reasonable wage. It would sound the death-knell to a big proportion of the King Country if this proposition was not allowed to proceed, Mr Smith said. He was confident the Government would not prevent the company from completing their negotiations. A vigorous protest was voiced by Mr J. S. Dickson (Parnell), who characterised the scheme as outlined as “ the biggest timber ring formed in New Zealand.* He believed that Mr Smith wished to mislead the House. Ostensibly Mr Smith had pleaded for the timber workers, but he had not told the House how £70,000 to £BO,OOO involved in the matter many years ago had been spent. “ The less he tells us about the Tongariro Timber Company the better, and the better it will be for the Government of the time,” he said- “ Why doesn’t the hon. member be honest and tell us all about it, and how that money was spent?” Mr Smith objected to the inference that he had been dishonest, and Mr Dickson withdrew.

Mr E. J. Howard suggested that far greater returns than any private company would secure for the Natives could be obtained if the Government stepped in and opened up mills. The Government owned a considerable amount of the timber. Mr Smith: Quite wrong.

The Prime Minister explained that three-fourths of the timber belonged to the Natives and one-fourth to the Government. The Maoris’ rights should not be overlooked. He would never be a party to compelling the taking of the timber. “ I have no objection to the State negotiating on the basis of the State being the pivot on which the areas shall be allocated to millers/’ added Mr Coates.

Sir Apirana Ngata said the apprehension of the Natives Was that if the contracts were terminated the Crown might not regard the* timber - as an asset while it belonged .to Natives. Once it belonged to the Crbwri it was a different matter. Such was the experience of the Maoris; One thing quite clear to the Native mind was that the timber interests were not enthused with the idea of giving; the Maoris big returns. All the timber interests were concerned with was making as much as possible out of the timber, and talk about killing the King Country should be taken with a large portion of salt.