MOUMAHAKI UNDER THE KNIFE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 718, 18 January 1910, Page 8

MOUMAHAKI UNDER THE KNIFE.

* THE MINISTER'S VERSION - Tho reported; statement of the Minister AjjnculUiro m the House ouDccembcr on-Uio - Mouinahaki: aroused' a corisiderablo ...amount .-.of ,- public.. - controversy. ■ The • Minister (tho Hon T Mnckenzio) lias .asked its ; to' publish. the i";i°.®cial./tot. of; his 'as Sprinted ! tin Haqsanl. < It is as follows - "Tho question brought up bv tho ;f.™npmablo : raomber forPatea in regard to ■.**??• Moumahaki Farm was one of con-'-Mnaer^lo-moment,'and it' was'one which Jtiad been engaging tho attention of the" , : -honourable .'/member recollect that 'he had represented . w ,; ,UD , (Hon. Mr. T. Mackenzie): that s,|jf .the- farm;.could bo' carried '. onjat : I£looo ■ !". experiments shouldbecontinued. ,;Uie\nad endeavoured to: carry that oat, Sifu l' m ana£er had been" notified ;that 11' £-. cost: of tho. farm's >Vorkiiigrexpense3 : y had to bo practically: reduced. . No action, ?, ,Q wev^I '> Was taken by'tio' manager. In } tae;meaniinie, ',tho .Director of-fields: and- ) Experimental - Farms': 'discovered that . BtepSi bad, .not -.been; taken ;iu this' direci uon,;and^notified.the'.manager.'in fnco with . tho decision >. arrived at that must be made, with' the re- : Salt .that tenvhands : were dispensed with; ':3n jmaking, these';'reductions, -the minager '.fMuckenrie);was determined to; get. some-. -£ ; l^ya^ijate.jValue;for'-Sthe soil 7 •(penditure -incurred, and,', at- any'.rate,; no', ,'ono could . say that- .the . carrying-on of J some, of. tlie work at „Moumahaki -was ■^necessary.-..There- was ' too much. expended .on'fru it-orchards- and' flowers, -runningi. jnto .many r hundreds of pounds,: and 'this -.'^P'-t°;-of the"fact }thjt;'all;. tho'- possiY :fbilibes of the .locality 'ior- fruit-cuiturei tlad been fully' .. demonstrated. : It was (absurd, to -say' that witheloven- hands' on" -'a';6ro-acro;farm. iio ; : practical work! could' .-/be dona and no expcrirueutscarried on " !jM : member:.;There;is i; : a.-',,fresli: Imanagar there" , ' "S°n- Mr. T. : Mackenzie-said Yes, that was so. . This was necesreason- of ;thb:;factithat';Mr.:.,Gil-i landers:*-had- voluntarily •- - retired. ■ : Ho ifloiu 'Mr.; T. Mackenzie) -. regretted to lose a" man' who'; had! served so; : well, .and,,who • was/.undoubtedly a--very- ; capable/manager.' 7 His -resignation v been > accopted :,with ,'rejret: ■ .Tho ' fact, ; Kswff^;::reMincd:,-'tfiati''thdvidiii , inistra-' ' : carry on; with tho means at J its and. get tho best possible ;TcsnltS;for,tho,poople. ■ 110 repeated' that, .unless tho farm could be carriedvon-, with- ; leai.-.los's than over ' w£2ooo;per ;annum,' or; '. '-gross,; someother/line' of -, miuit .be followed. He honed the gentle- : ■ j JJiov,means ,at his, disposal; but bo-might' : to the.stateinent about tho i retention :of the\best\inen,; that the. ihat--of Mr. Gillandera; No one.-had -influenced-' gtlat/gentlemiras" to;tho men -.who ;should : ' fto -rotainedv or retired.They had dis-ij-jjemsedv,; with,- ten > --bands:■■ - and < retained .'eleven,.-- They -were not" going-'to allow {'experiments j -.that ;' had . started' to fall .[through, because , they, were .'. to {place three other hands on the farm, .which would . make . a - total l of fourteen, land'lie 'was quite sure that; any" one who : ; . place .would acknowledge' that. a : >oni : - ought. to be. able to do some'good for '1: ;l'lie,; question' •' ;eniirely 'different; : If;;the^>Tero; going-i to i.take - the 'matter : would'want a larger.area than 600 acres ; , ofithatiparhcular. land, iand-for that rea- : sonitho^jDepartment,,at, any.: rate in'the meantime, did not intend to £0 in for a ; iSchool of instruction.for younp men alone. - "Mr. Pearce (Patea) said the Minister , J^-.fßUKested\'.t!)atVhVV,Trni-' l 6roo^d;'t6- : : : tho.rotTenclimenti but .ho. certainly had :: Vi 9f ,the men might ba; dismissed;frnm- the'«tate>;aiid^.boys;ilie ;iaken3W;theirt. place,-.andv that some- of (the l experiments > ia^mKri r ;te:.fgTO,mngv-flowefsVand i fruit-i ; He.; certainly, had >been in: favour- of what : had been.'done: to that extent, -i, w '■■■■'■ "The Hon. .Mr. r L\ ?ilackenzie did not -' jmputeilthatJithe'fhonburable'vgehtleman', ' was opposed to "retrenchment,; and lie did ' Hot.'Wish to:convey. that;impression."j