HAURAKI PLAINS SOLDIER SETTLERS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4382, 24 February 1922, Page 4

HAURAKI PLAINS SOLDIER SETTLERS.

(Continued from page 3.), in its original state was absolutely' worthless swamp country, but the land the Government .’had bought al from £lO to £l5 an acre would not keep up to that value all t|he time. The land the petition referred to,was sold by the Government at £1 5s an acre a few years ago, and they did very well out of it As long as land bad kept rising in value throughout tae Dominion the position seemed fairly satisfactory, With the high prices for produce. Naturally, the Government wanted to get as much as possible, and was anxious to make a profit o«t of Rs land transactions, even in the case of the returned soldiers. But now values were falling, was not worth the price put on it, and there was only one thing t 0 do—to recognise the position and reduce prices. He therefore asked the Minister to send an independent valuer to look at the land referred to and value it. The Hon, Mr Guthrllei: 1 shall be quite pleased to do .that. Mr Poland , said he made that request because the .. settlers would otherwise throw up their sections. They were all good men, as far as to could judge, and men who had Bought hard to make a living. They had gone on the sections full of hope, bu» Were now in a- dispirited state. H<> I urged the Minister to have another [ valuation made,, faking into consideration the present state of the land, and to further consider the question of absolutely remitting the rentes until the tenants are in a position to pay. The price of produce had gone down, but that made no difference to these settlers at the moment. It did not matter twopence to them; because they could not produce anything off their sections. Whether, butter-fat was high or low did not affect, them, and would not for a few years. He would leave the matter in the hands off the Minister.

Mr T. W. Rhodes (Thames) endorsed the appeal of the honourable member for Ohineinuri for the absolute remission of the petitioners’ rent. The recommendation of the Committee w.as that the time was inopportune for a revaluation, and that the rent should be postponed. With the idea of postponing the rent he totally disagreed’. He knew the locality .well, and knew that other settlers besides the petitioners were concerned. Some of the petitioners were constituents of his own ; others were in the Chine-; muri electorate ; and there was a distinct group, if not groups, of further, settlers w;ho were prejudicially affected by the same circumstances. It would be only right that} these people should receive any concession which was granted to the petitioners. He knew the whole of this part of the Dominion, and knew how capable it was of improvement. Its improvement!, however, could only be brought about by perseverance and energy. According to the depth of .the peat, it would take anything fromHwo to ten years' to bring thatl land in, Some that had been occupied for ten years had not. been wholly brought in yetThe only method that would be successful was a slow process of consolidation. In the meantime, if the rents were piled up, the lessees would have no encouragement at all. Tihese men were lions, and even heroes, to take up heavy peat country, knowing, as some of. them did, the depth of the peat. They certainly had a foreknowledge that if Uhey could only hang out long enough they would ultimately come Out ai.l right; but if they were to have mountains of rent piling rip against them, as well as accumulat-i ing debt, that would be poor encouragement to exert themselves. They were a very fine type of settler, many of them having had previous farming experience. The first signature on tilie petition, was that of a man he had known for many years—a man who game from a thoroughly practical farming stock, and who was familiar with the locality, having lived at Maramarua, on the margin of the Plains, for practically his whole life up to the time when he went to the front. As this man had told the Committee, there were some sections on the Plains that he would not have as a gift He had been fortunate in drawing a comparatively good sec-tion-one that would be really good when it was brought in. Better dairying country than the Hauraki Plains could not be found anywhere, but time was generally required for bringing it in. These young men, being returned soldiers, should be given every opportunity. It would be io the Interests of the Dominion that waste lands like these should be brought in and made productive, and the only way of doing so was to give the petitioners a chance to "make

good,” which they had not had up to the present. Their applications for remission of rent had been turned down every time. Postponement had been granted to them, but that was of no use. Some had had six months’ grace, and some twelve months; but that was no permanent benefit to them. Some, who were conscientious, did not like to think that by 1922 or 1924 they would have a certain liability to meet. The policy of the Government was to help returned soldiers in every way. Here was an opportunity to do it. The land was not land on whidh the Government was going to Ip'se. On the contrary the State would gain as far as the revaluation was concerned. Tffe time/ was not yet opportune for revaluing the properties. What they wanted was postponement of revaluation for two years, and in some cases more, according the nature of the soil, the average peripd being from four to six years;. When they had had that' opportunity to see how the land shaped the Government could consider the question pfl revaluation. The Depart|ment said that the land was not overvalued; but the opinion of the settlers and others in that district was quite, the contrary. When he held his meeting at) Kaihere, in that district, during the 1919 elections, he was bombarded with ques-j tions by the settlers—not returned soldiers, but settlers who Had been there for some time. Those settlers stated that it was l very unfair that the soldier settilers should be asked to go on the land at the then, suggested enormously high prices. That was the opinion of settlers wjio, as he had said, had been there for some years. The opinion of those settlers was worth taking notice of. He stated to those settlers at the time that) it was too late to make representations—it was just on t.he eve of the ballot—and that the matter would have to go on. He told them also that he was quite sure that it iti could be shown that the new settlers could not make a “do” of it the Government would come to the rescue. The..time had come when the Government had been called upon to come to the rescue, and if they did the right thing they Would grant the remission of the rent for a considerable period. As to what that period should be was a matter that could only be determined by investigation and detailed examination of each section, and after ascertaining the depth of the peat, and so forth. An Hon. Member: They paid tpo much.

Mr T. W. Rhodes said that time would teirthat; but what could lie determined in the meantime was .whether the term of .the remission should be for tjwo, tour, six, or ten years—what was a reasonable time for which to remit the rent so as to give the settlers a chance to "make good.” The peat varied very much in depth—from 2ftl or 3ft up to 30ft and 35ft in places. Members could thus realise how Tong it would take to consolidate, and that co,uld only be done by putting light stock on the land and gradually beating the peat down and consolidating it 'so that it. would hold grass. H 6 had seen places where it had subsided gradually for 2ft or 3ft; and that had not been done in a day or two, or had' npt taken place in a month or two—it Was a process of years. If the Government were really as anxious as they 'had indicated —and he believe! they were —they would accede to the desires of those settlers to be granted relief. , Mr S. G.. Smith: What does the Minister say, Mr T. W. Rhodes said the Minister was quite sympathetic ; and it would be better if the honourable member did not interject. If he (Mr T. W. Rhodes) had anything to say in the’ interests of the settlers he was going to say it. He was out to help deserving settlers to the utmost of his pow-< er. He desired to give the Minister an opportunity to reply, and would therefore curtail his remarks'. The Minister was present at the meetings of the Hands Committee 1 when the question was discussed, and judging from the Minister’s demeanour and his previous knowledge of the attitude of the honourable gentleman he knew he (Hon. Mr Gutfhrie) was sympathetic. The Land Act contemplated remission of rent in the case of ordinary tenants on bush or swamp lands suffering in a similar way to these settlers —a remission of rent for a period of four years ; and in many parts of tihe Dominion such a remission ihad been granted. On the previous day the Minister of Lands laid on the table a copy of a Proclamation with regard to land in the Taranaki district —land which had been selected, and to which it was proposed to apply the provisions of section 127 of the Land Act, giving the settlers rei mission of rent. If a remission were

’ right in that case/it was also right ' ( in this case. He would guarantee there were few places where the peat was so deep and so difficult tp deal 1 with as it was at this; place, or 1 where it was so .well worth while to ’deal with it. His recommendation 'was that the Government should remit the rent for a term of years, and then after a lapse of time let its value be determined by someone' sent there for that purpose., ‘ If the Minister sent the Commissioner of Crown Lands and the Ranger to see the existing conditions no doubt the right thing would be done, because Commissioner of Lands at Auckland was sympathetic with the returned soldiers, and would doubtless assist them when he saw they were trying to overcome adverse conditions. Should the matter of revaluation be deferred, as recommended by the Lands Committee, tfhey could cbpsider and decide later on whether the prices were excessive or not. The general opinion was that they were excessive, but t|hat given a chance —by remitting the rent—to remain on the land, the men would be able to “make good.” The Hon. Mr Guthrie (Minister of Lands) said that the report was Bhe, outcome of a petition sent in by settlers on a portion of the Hauraki Plains. It would appear from the way in which the settlers’ troubles I had been described by some I able members as though the Government had been treating them unjustly, and- that it had been guilty of cruelty and harshness in placing them on the land. But the Government had not placed them there. The settlers wfere not slaves.. They had gone 'into the backblocks, and if they were to overcome their difficulties t|hey would require to- put forth, all their energy and meet their troubles in the same way as others had doneIt was now asserted that the land was very inferior —• > • Mr T. W. Rhodes: I did not say so ; but it will take time to bring it in. The Hbn. Mr Guthrie said he knew that as well as the honourable gentleman did. Some of the sections referred to were good, and some of them were bad—that was, they were bad in the sense that they were wet. But from the remarks made by the honourable gentleman representing the district it was apparent that somie of the sections were now all right, or * were rapidly becoming If the honourable gentlemen knew* so much J about the land they should have told ' the Commissioner of Crown Lands at I the time th,at it was not then fit for ! settlement. That would have been ] the right thing to have done. He did I not know the portion of the Plains in question, and could not speak from personal knowledge, but the men who were conversant with it should have come forward and said' t|hat, although others were advocating the settlement of the land, they were opposed to its selection; as it was, the Government had received no warning from the practical men of the district, and consequently its hands had been forced. '

Mr Poland: I know I wrote to you that the land should be put up again. The Hon. Mr Guthrie said the honourable member had written to him, but not! until a number of soldiers had gone on the land. Mr T. W. Rhodes: I only ask now that these men should be treated fairly. The Hon. Mr Guthrie replied that there was no intention to treat! the soldiers in any other way. He knew th,at the treatment of peat land required time, and that! it could not lie forced! He also knew “that, as time went on, the: settlers’ difficulties would decrease,' and if they were In earnest in theii- endeavours to succeed, that, would be recognised, and not one of them would be subjected to any harshness. \ An Hon. Member: None of! them will stay on to wait your sweet wilt

The Hon. Mr Guthrie said they knew the conditions when they to.ouup the land. If the honourable gentleman was asking him for a remission of rent or for revaluation, he could only say that the time was not opportune .to accede to the request. But if the land was as stated he would have the matter looked into. If it .was found that the Land Boardhad made a mistake h.e would be quite prepared to dp What he had done in other cases—give the setters the advantages of the Bush and Swamp Lands Act. That was the policy of the Government. He would not take up any more time on the subject, because he knew the cihairq man of the Committee wished to reply. Mr E. Newman (Manawatu) said it was rather difficult to know exactly what honourable gentlemen wanted. The Committee was asked by t|he petitionex- for a revaluation of the land. That was the prayer of the petition;

and the reply oV the Committee was tjhat in its opUiqn!, in the present state of the market for land, it xyould not be possible to revalue the land. Honourable members must be aware that there were practically no buyers of land just now. The Government had to formulate a policy for the treatment of returned soldiers holding sections of land; and it was the opinion bf the Committee, and of himself, that it was a sound policy that the Government should postpone payment of the rent where necessary, so that the settlers might occupy the land without having .to pay for it until the prices of their products were stabilised and the value of the land was settled; Then it would be poff-i sib’.e for the Government, if necessary, to revalue the land. The Committee recommended that these men should not; be asked to pay rent for the time being. The recommendation w,as for continued postponement of the payment of rent as long .as it was required. He did not think honourable gentlemen could fairly ask more than this recommendation ot the Committee at the present time. An Hon. Member: Remission is what they want. Mr E. Newman said the Committee did the fair thing in recommending postponement of the payment of rent. The Committee had to look after the interests of the State as well as the interests of the soldier settlers. All through the Committee was sympathetic to the petitioners and soldier settlers generally and most anxious to do the best they could, as also, he believed, were the Minister and the Lands' Department. Motion agreed to.