GALATEA ESTATE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 119, 23 May 1932, Page 8

GALATEA ESTATE

DEVELOPMENT HALTED AUCKLAND REPORTS "GROSS MISMANAGEMENT.” Statements that the Galatea Estate of 22 000 acres in the Bay of Plenty district, which was recently purchase;! by the Government for subdivision, is to be closed down and that developmental work is to cease, are being made in reports furnished to Auckland newspapers. A correspondent, writing in tho New Zealand Herald, describes the development as 1 ‘the most grossly mismanaged land settlement scheme ever propounded by any Government. Tho Rotorua correspondent of the Auckland Star assorts that development operations on tho estate, which was purchased by the Government for subdivision, and was intended for the settlement of 200 families, has ceased, and possibly will not be resumed for three to five years. Fencers, scrub cutters, * ‘navvies,” and cultivators have all been discharged, and there are now only about five men on tho whole job.

Cost of Work to Date. The area of the Galatea Estate is 22 325 acres,” the report states. ‘‘lt was purchased from Mr. H. E. Troutbock for £78,137/10/-, an average of £3/10/- an acre. In addition roads and bridges haye cost £50,000, scrub cutting £2OOO, fencing £4500, making a total outlay of £134,637. This capital investment apparently is to remain practically unproductive. True, there arc 7500 sheep and 700 cattle on. the place, but this is a paradoxical situation when it is remembered that the station was taken for closer settlement, and that when in one big run it carried 18,000 sheep, 50 horses, and 1500 head of cattle. ‘‘Approximately there, have been 18 to 20 miles of fencing laid out —that is, carried out and laid along the lines ready for erection, at a cost of 1/- per chain. This is all being lifted again at a cost of another 1/- a chain. When the Government decides to resume the job the material will have to be paid out once more, at tho cost of still another shilling a chain.”

Rumours regarding the closing of the estate and the dismissal of men were referred to Mr. C. H. Clinkard. M.P. for 'Rotorua. He said that so far he had had no reply to his representations on the matter. He had communicated with the Lands Department asking for the facts about the situation.

Government Approached. In his representations, Mr. Clinkard stated that if the department found itself unable to carry on the work of further c. -.velopment at Galatea it should throw open the land for immediate settlement as he was averse to the closing up of the estate for a period of years. The land could be made available for close settlement or as an alternative could be used for the pur pose of placing unemployed men upon it under the settlement scheme initiated by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates. Mr. Clinkard considered it would ba infinitely better to place mon upon the estate so that the developmental work already done would not be wasted. If unemployed men were placed upon it they would receive a c<*rta'f amount of sustenance pay while they were further improving the land. Mr. Clinkard said that sufficient time had not elapsed for him to have received a reply to his communication. The ‘‘Herald’s” correspondent says the 40 miles of reading completed had cost £45 a mile, and the writer claimed that the same clans of road formation could have beer done i j t a price not ex ceeding £2O a mile. Tractors and graders had been used, doing away with the employment of many men who, tho writer claimed, could have done tho work just as cheaply, if not more cheaply. About 13 riiles of road had been metalled at a cost of anout £2BO a mile, exclusive of maintenance. Scrub-cutting Methods. Scrub-cutting methods were also criticised. The writer said that blocks of scrub had been let by contract to men with mowers and horses, and other blocks to gangs of men with slashers. The men had been paid on a sliding scale at tho lowest, rates possible, but the proprietors of the machines had received full rate: of pay and were nor subject, to the sliding scale. It was proved, the writer stated, that tho gangs received less pay per acre than those working the m ichines did over the same class of scrub

Referring tc instances of alleged extravagant waste of public money, the writer says that ho uimself had seen an empty lorry paid at 6/6 an hour sent to take two bolts a distance of 20 miles. That small item must have cost the country about 20/-. At one time there were over 100 men employed on the estate in fencing, reading, scrubcutting, draining and •flier works, but at present there we,ie only four Public Works men and two Lands Department men, in addition to tho manager and his shepherds. The writer claimed that ragwort was invading the rich river flats and that the Rangitaiki River was being allowed to cat away its banks.