SWAMP LANDS.

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17076, 13 April 1927, Page 8

SWAMP LANDS.

OPERATIONS IN NEW ZEALAND.

STATEMENT BY MINISTER.

Speaking at Thames the Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister of Lands, said that much was being published at present in regard to land drainage and reclamation works in California and elsewhere in the United States. All operations were being closely watched and from time to time personally reported upon by selected officers of the Public Works Department of New Zealand. In America and on the Continent the degree of success of the majority of the development schemes depended almost entirely upon intensive cultivation and the capacity of the internal population to absorb rapidly the major portion of the various products. In spite of these advantages—and particularly was this the case in the United States —a non-interest earning cost representing a portion of the actual cost and amounting to many millions of dollars, was being met by State or Federal payments. “ Now, I wish to refer to swamp development in our own Dominion, undertaken by Governments as far back as 1907 under the direction and supervision of a branch of the Lands Department,” said the Minister. ‘‘Although no great forward movement was made by this sub-department prior to 1910 or 1911, Ihe most capable officers for this class of work were selected and the cost- of several large undertakings, almost entirely within the Auckland Province, was estimated and the work subsequently undertaken.

“ With the advent of the war, which quickly brought about an increase of 50 to 100 per cent., and in some instances even more, in the cost of labour, machinery, finance and other necessities for such undertakings, pre-war estimates went by the board. The Hauraki, Rangitaiki, Waihi, Hikurangi, and Kaitaia operations will have cost, before, the date, of completion—■ which it is now anticipated will be in the course of the next five years—with added interest charges, not less than £2,000,000. This will he the case even if ihe. large subsidiary expenditures, as suggested by the Patetonga Committee of Inquiry, together with additional expenditures from time to time urged by deputations, are not undertaken.

“ With my officers I have investigated the whole position sufficiently to be able to say that it will be necessary to write off not less than one-half of the foregoing amount, including the amounts already dealt with in Rangitaiki, Waihi and Kaitaia. This is a large amount, but I confidently believe that the general taxpayers of the Dominion will ultimately be compensated by ttic increased population and production resulting from the. work. The real difficulty, however, in which I find myself as Minister in charge is the providing of the large sums necessary for the speedy completion of these undertakings and at the same time provide finance for new development work of a more or less similar nature.

“ There has to be a cleaning up process at some time or another, and 1 personally belong to the school which believes in facing a position as soon v as it is definitely known. If 1 have a fault to find with my predecessor it is that adequate provision was not made against ultimate writings-off as the works proceeded. The writingoff in a short period of a million or more, consisting largely of interest accrued when a work is completed, exposes a Minister and his officers to a degree of criticism, which an annual subsidy toward specified works, of say, £BO,OOO to £IOO,OOO a year, would prevent."