LANDS FOR SETTLEMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 23 October 1929, Page 8

LANDS FOR SETTLEMENT

CLAIMS OF WAIROA DISTRICT. AVAIROA,. October 21. Speaking at the annual meeting of tho AVairoa Farmers’ Co-operative Meat Company to-day, the chairman of directors, Mr J. ‘S. Jessep, wellknown as a member of ,the Meat Board and vice-president of the New Zealand Sheepfarmers’ Federation, stated that the future of the company depended entirely upon further developments in AVairoa County. Probably no county in New Zealand contained a larger area of good to fair and medium undeveloped land. Vear after year he had fruitlessly pressed for the development and occupation of large areas of Crown and native lands. One block particularly close, consisted of 30,000 acres of quite good land. It had now lain for twenty years undeveloped. Thirty years ago the area carried over 30,000 sheep wliein leased by Europeans from the natives, but it passed back into native hands. The State had purchased between 6000 and 8000 acres, tho ltemainder remairiing unindividualised native land. Nothing bad been done with the land purchased by the State and the entire block remained idle, harbouring noxious weeds and going further back every year. The East Coast railway was being constructed clean through the centre of the block and apparently the- native owners, who for many years had added nothing to the production! of the Dominion and paid no rates or taxes whatever, would benefit from the. State undertaking. This was only one instance of many. As was well known by practical men much land ill tbe AVairoa district had only to be broken in from the virgin state. Settlers until recently, were entirely isolated and faced tremendous difficulties through lack of

roads and transport facilities. They not only had to pay heavy county rates for the construction of makeshift roads, but also had to carry on their backs a share of the rates that should have been borne by the native owners and Crown lands. To cap all, it was now proposed to 'reward them for their efforts by increasing their taxation without any reference to the Tact that there still remained large areas of undeveloped lands in the district. Absurdity could go no further than to suggest that increased taxation should be based on the area of lan,d without any reference to whether such was suitable for subdivision or not. Even the proposal of such legislation had been a very distinct set back to development and certainly was not conductive to further the development and production upon which the prosperity of the entire Dominion absolutely depended.