TWENTY YEARS AGO

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 290, 2 April 1941, Page 3

TWENTY YEARS AGO

RANGITAIKI SETTLERS' PETITION SWAMP DRAINAGE AND THE SLUMP WHEN THE STATE WROTE OFF £300,000 So many thousands of tons of butter have been "churned out" by the Rangitaiki Plains dairy factory, in recent years, and such is the atmosphere of prosperity that reigns over this productive district, that is difficult for the younger generation to realise that twenty years ago—in 1921-2*2 —the early settlers had to contend with a slump in prices and 'Hoods and more floods. Twenty years ago the extensive system of land drainage on the Rangitaiki Swamp was not yet an accomplished fact —though it had been in progress for ten years or so. Wartime problems in 1914-18 had delayed the work, and the settlers suffered accordingly as every "winter their lands were subject to floods. So it came about that when the Government of the day commenced to lev3 r drainage rates on the land not yet reasonably drained there was much righteous indignation among the settlers. They had no money with which to pay rates. In due course the Rangitaiki Ratepayers' Association came into being 20 years ago. A petition Avas presented to Parliament in 1922, and there Avas great satisfaction when the local paper" was able to publish the good news: "£300,000 has been AA r ritlen off the drainage rates." Later on a Royal Commission visited Whakatane and heard the, cA ridence of settlers as to the hardships resulting from "seven years of flooding." Among other reforms adopted Avas the system of a graduated scale of rates. The Ratepayers' Petition. Of interest to present-day residents should be the petition presented to Parliament in 1922. It Avas as follows:-— The settlers of the Ranguaiki area having associated themselves in a body, containing all ratepayers— now make their presentments: That they have been much impoverished by circumstances over Avhich they could have no control; being engaged in reclaiming the Swamp, their industrj' AA T as largely confined to stock raising. The recent slump in beef, therefore, was more keenly felt by them than by other districts, the consequent failure of the local Freezing Works, with the calling up of all reserve capital invested in it, was a heavy strain on their resources. Also, the almost total loss of al' beef products shipped, and the consequent depreciation in value of all stock held to beloAV half their cost, left them without any returns for recent years' labour. The attempt to change quickly over to butter production, as the only thing possible to them, necessarily involves them in a heavy expenditure for stock and plant, from which involved position they have not had time to recover. There is also the fact that the Swamp reclamation has been carried out largely under Avar conditions, at much greater expense than Avas expected, and occupying f\ much longer time than at first seemed neccssarA r .

beef, therelore, was more ltceniy felt b3 r them than by other districts the consequent failure of the local Freezing Works, with the calling up of all reserve capital invested in it, was a heavy strain on their resources. Also, the almost total loss of al' beef products shipped, and the consequent depreciation in value of all stock held to below half their cost, left them without any returns for recent years' labour. The attempt tc change quickly over to butter production, as the only thing possible to them, necessarily involves them in a heavy expenditure for stock and plant, from which involved position they have not had time to recover. There is also the fact that the Swamp reclamation has been carried out largely under war conditions, at much greater expense than was expected, and occupying f\ much longer time than at first seemed necessary. Bringing in Swamp Land. The Go-Slow methods which the Department seemed compelled to adopt, prevented settlers pushing on with the improvement of their holdings, and they now find themselves with only partly improved properties. which are not able, in most cases, to bear the strain of taxation imposed upon them. Further, settlers feel that the Government (in granting relief) would not be establishing any dangerous precedent .us the conditions at Rangitaiki must be different from those of any othei drainage works, as the Govcrnmcn! here, failed, under pressure of interested land holders, to adopt iti usual sensible policy of resuming possession of the area to be drained —it gave the opportunity to these land holders, as soon as operation': commenced, to sell out, with all the profit thereto in it, and cscapc without paying much rates, and leaving a heritage of ill-paid hard labour to their successors. But tin strong claim now urged and for time to increase the procTScfng power of tlv:'lanotf inucl of which is not of a trac-tabltseluir X

nctcr; but which requires years of Working and sweetening before its undoubted, latent fertility can be made evident and utilised. Mueli certainly has been done; but the casual observer does not see the much that has to be done, neither is able to rightly estimate the expenditure of skill, energy and capital involved in the doing. Settlers feci that they have in cveiy way been the victims oi adverse conditions, and they would respectfully ask the Government to suspend its rating powers for a few years, when the work will be nearer completion, and, by which time the country will be brought into a much higher state of productiveness, and so be able to bear the burden of taxation, which now seems overwhelming. They make this reques,. in no mendicant spirit: but as men. who. strenuously defending hearth and home, feel that they are being pushed back into the last ditch, and from the last line of defence —feel tliftt they have a good claim to sympathy and assistance.

"Creating a New County."

The Government has, with approval of the wlrole community, spent many millions in repatriation of the soldiers, and the battlers on this swamp feel that they, also, are doing a great work in creating a new county out of a useless morass _-are adding to the wealth of the Dominion, if not to their own. The small concession asked, would hurt nobody, as no money would be lost by the Department, while it would much in need of it. 'While in rfcafford substantial relief to those claiming this swamp the Government appears to have" spent over £100.000, settlers must have spent twice that amount of their own capital, much of which must have been borrowed. To relieve, rather than crush out, would be in interest of justice, and sound statesmanship. Note: The above petition was drafted by the president of the Ratepayers' Association, the late Mr Alfred Sheat, who made four visits to Wellington to interview Cabinet Ministers. On one of these visits in 1925 Mr Sheat (who was then over 70) was taken seriously ill and hart to enter a hospital. He never recovered his health and strength, and died at Whakatane in 1928.