TE AKAU LANDS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 635, 12 October 1909, Page 5

TE AKAU LANDS.

';.;,.; '.SERIOUS COMPLAINTS; : ' SECTIONS SAID TO BE "OVERLOADED." ~ '...(Dy. TeUEraph-rßpcclal Correspnndcnt.i ~:'■•■.' . ;' Auckland, October 11. ■' In; connection with tho opening ,of the, Tβ Akau block - this' • week (for ' which there ik a, great rush'of applicants) speculation is rife; as to i what the Government proposes, to do with • the balance of tho-money representing tho difference.botwport tho money'paid to the Natives and the purohase price of the sections. . This . balance . is. 'stated: to bo over .'-£20,000, nnd it: is laid'downns ft rule that tho Government makes no profit on' srich lands, but devotes the difference to roading. Yet tho road I works at To Akau hayo. .been stopped for -want of funds. The , position ' with regard to Tu Akaii! block-"is ,I 'not 1 "all- that -is supposed, according to somn_ land-seekers. . In the course of inquiries made by your representative to-day'ono of'tho latter, Mr. A: Reynell, of Wellington,-' who'hns just returned to Auckland: after-a visit to thn block, communicated a statement of interest: '.. . ;

.' ".The :To Akau ,■ block," Mr. Eeynell declared, "is not what It is; described, as being. .There; will be hundreds balloting for the >$eo tions who <havo never seen the land and may not be able to'finance it if they get it. "The number of people going put from ■ Ngaruawahia to see the area is surprising, Tho coaches and every, other Vehicle, available'are running, out : about *) ■ nnssent'era a day arid charging 275. out.and :back, -though the : ,Government .say the..; fare- is only -£1. -The general opinion :'of those who have, visited tho block," continued Mr.:Heynell,'"iatliat the land is loaded full? 23. per cent, on --its value. ' The first-class.land is. not suitable, for ■ dairying. ■ A .very small proportion of it could be ploughed-, perhaps four, or'five acres here, and there.' If is good graiing land, but unless he can dairy on it tho sections are too Small- for a 'man to make ; a living off. The roads are not metalled within five miles of the block, and very little roading. pertaps .£soo.worth, has been idono on the Jock, itself. The roadmen and plant having jeeu removed, it does" not look ns if it ivas intended to do moro reading just ■ vet. Uhe only: means .of getting , on-to' "the block,:, is by way -of Ngaruawahin from whence tho road runs to the gate of the block, butlt .is. not metalled all the way. There is no fencing timber on tho first-class land, and the nearest-Mint from which building: material can be obtained is Ngaruawahia, 'which will cost Us. per.lOO feet, for carting. Fencing materia! and goods will nil have to bo brought in the-same way, and the carting on these will cost £3 103, per ton. ' ' .-■.'■:. j_"As i for tho .second-class land," said, Mr. Reynell, "it is. fair land, but it is at least 25*. per acre too high in price." . - .He added, that at Ngaruawahia the landseekers ate 'roundly abusing the Government over-the-ballot-system.- ."Many of them have 1 dome up from,.the south," he said, "at considerable expense, and. they have no guarantee that they will get a seation even if they ballot from the time they are 17 nntil they are 70 To my mind the ballot should be done away with. Instead, I would suggest a system whereby applicants. should inspect blocks opened, apply for sections, and go. through tho present preliminary formalities. Then - when the commissioner .had examined the applicants and reduced them; to those considered eligible,' he should put up the sections to auction amongst them only.'For the proteetibn of the poor-man, I wohld have the bidding basedon the value the bidder was willing to pay over and above the upset price. In other words the man giving the biggest bonus would secure tho section. ! The rental under my scheme would not be payable until the title was applied fof." ' •' ■■ ; ■ ■■■-.■■

, ' The Commissioner's.Reply, The reply of "the Crown Lands Commissioned (Mr. E. C. Gold Smith) to the statement of Mr. Keynell was that the large number of applications already lodged discounted the value of such complaints.' Something like 500 applicants had come forward) and it could not, be supposed that they vreri dissatisfied with either the terms or the finality "of the-land;, The commissioner mentioned, however,' that the metalling of roads hnd been suspended owing to the , exhaustion of tho funds, but the "metal* ling had been carried to: within close proximity of the block.' The work would, of course, be-resumed as soon as a further grant was .placed on the Estimates. , '' '

, THE APPLICATIONS. . lltj Telocrnoh.-l'rejj A'-oclalton.l '■ Auckland, October 11. Applications closed to-day for fhe 30 blocks of land into which-the Tβ. Akau Block has' been divided, vir.., nine lots of first-class land and 21 second-class. At. the . Auckland office over GOO Applications wero received, and at Ngartmwahia 0301 On Wednesday the Lands Board will leave-for Ngnriiawahia. and will sit there on Thursday■ to examine the applications, nnd the ballot will bo taken the next day in the public hall.