PUMICE LANDS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1258, 13 October 1911, Page 3

PUMICE LANDS.

AND THE PROPOSED RAILWAY. FURTHER EVIDENCE. State officers gov© evidence yesterday morning before the special Parliamentary Committee, appointed to investigate tlio Taupo Totora Timlior Company's railroad proposition. The company ha,s asked for authority to extend its existing railway to Taupo town and to purchase an iinu ol' 20H.n!in acres of Native land. The members of the committee present were Messrs. T. 11. Da rev (chairman). A. M. livers, IV. D. S. llacdonald, E. Newman, o.' W. Forbes, D. 11. Guthrie, W. Frv sor, and V. 11. Reed. Mr. F. 0. Dalziell, chairman of directors of the company, was a.!-o present. Mr. \V. C. Kensington, Under-Secretary of Crown Lands, gave evidence regarding the character of the country within a thirtv-milc radius of Taupo township. Ho estimated that 16G.500 anives of Crown land would receive immediate benelit from the proposed extension; 184,441 acres would receive benefit in a secondary degree; and there were also within the 30mile radius G!,O0O acres of Crown land which would bo influenced rather by the Rotorua railway than the Taupo line, lie described the land in the first-class as comprising'a variety of soils, principally pumice and gravel formation containing a good deal of soil. The greater portion of the land in the second classification was light pumice formation, containing very little soil, and there were also some areas on .the limits of the thirty-mile circle which were forest lauds of fairly good r|iiality. The forest on the land lying to the east of Taupo town was not in. sufficient quantity to bo marketable. In reply to questions, Mr. Kensington said that the land was sheep country capable, after cultivation and manuring, of producing remarkably good root crops. He had no knowledge of tho suitability of any of the area, for dairying; He was satisfied that these pumice lands could be made productive by a considerable expenditure, and that their value would be enhanced by the construction of- the proposed extension. He estimated the unimproved value of the Crown lands in the area affected from ss. to .£2 per acre. The results obtained by Mr. Vaile showed that the value of the pninice lauds was much greater than had been put upon it two years ago, for instance. The productivity of the pumico lands was now proved. The projected extension of the Rotorua railway would serve large areas of private and Native land, but there was very little Crown land in the. country that would be traversed bv that line. Mr. 13. .C. Astou, 'State Agricultural Chemist, gave an analytical statement of the chemical composition of pumice soils, which he stated were capable of considerable improvement. To Mr. Newman: He was now Irving plot experiments with 'pumice soil. Hitherto ho had done no mere than analvse it. The experiments went to show that superphosphate would be a great ameliorative for these soils, and its effects would be permanent. He had a high opinion of the possibilities of these, soils for rcot crops. To Mr. Myers: Pumice soil would probably produce fruit where there was sufficient humus and where climate, shelter, etc., were .suitable. The laud could be tanned in small areas. In tho course of discussion as to wbcm tC'T*' 101 ' cvitlpnco should be called. Mr. Dalziell said the company was prepared to accept a condition that tho railway must lx> passed by Government experts as suitable for passenger traffic before the land was bought. Tho chairman said that undoubtedly if permission was granted' to lav the line it must be in accordance wiih tho requirements of the Public 'Works Department. l It was resolved to call Mr. H. .1. H Blow, Under-Secretary far Public Works, and Mr. E. Uifton, Director of Agricultural Experiments, as witnesses, and to hear Mr. Dalziell again. The committee meets at 10.30 a.m. trxlav. lon » nl »^