HAURAKI PLAINS BILL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4475, 4 October 1922, Page 1

HAURAKI PLAINS BILL.

SECOND HEADING DEBATE. REVIEW BY MR. T, W. RHODESDuring the debate .at the secpnd reading of the Hauraki Plains Bill the need for pushing on with the drainage and in other ways facilitating settlement On the Hauraki Plains was stressed by t!he member for Thames.

Mr T- W. Rhodes (Thames) : Mr Speaker, I think it is rather a pity that we are called upon to discuss the merits of the Hauraki Plains enterprise without having in our hands the annual report to show what has been done with, regard to reclamation during the past year.. At the present time. we have certain knowledge in connection with the operations there, and anyon.e who knows the district at all cannot fail to recognize that the reclamation .works carried out there are amongst the most successful, if not the most successful, landdrainage operations that have ever been, undertaken in New Zealand, as well as the most successful land investment that thp Government of this country has ever made. Out of the total Of about 90,0'00 acres within the scheme, 47,000 acres have been ba 1 - loted for, and are now occupied. They ai ; e not settled as closely as they will be in the future, but the land is carrying an appreciable population, and it is producing an enormous amount of wealth .ip the way of butter, cheese, and stock. The land there i«' probably the finest, for dairying purposes that we have in the whole of New Zealand,, and, not only is the land of fine quality, but the climate is so mild that the settlers are enabled to milk throughout the whole of the year, so that their yield is proportionately greater. The increase in. production has been astonishing, surprising evep the most sanguine individual that\had any knowledge of the area before the went in. When the water has been drained off their difficulties are largely behind them. AU that they have .0 do is to get to work and sow grass. In some instances the peat' is very heavy, and that is a different proposition, but where there is no peat, where there is a clay bottom, witn the soil showing as soon as the water is drained off, gfpss will grow luxuriantly at once. The Government ha.s nothing whatever to fear in- connection with vigorously prosecuting the reclamation of the undrained portion. Some of it is going to take years yet to bring it in, but there is a con■sJSerable area that should be rendered available for settlement almost immediately. We had a promise in last year’s report that a would be dealt with in the then not distant future, but we do pot know what has been done since then, because we have pot got the report. I assume that within a very short time quite an appreciable further area will be offered for settlement. As I have already said, there is nothing tp hesitate about.. The Government is now in a better position than it has ever been in any previous period of the drainage operations, to gp ahead with the work with economy and vigour. I am sor,ry the work has not been pushed pn in some instances as rapidly as it might have been, but I think the Minister will be able to give a good and sufficient reason for that It seems to me that the reclamation might be pushed bn more rapidly than it has been. Incidentally it would provide a considerable amount of additional employment, and so help 10 relieve the present unemployed difficulty. With regard to the wonks to be carried out in the future, undoubtedly the most important is the prosecution wih vigour and expedition of the Waitakaruru-Maukoro Canal, which starts at the sea and runs between Piako River and thp hill country on the western side, right up to the extreme limit of the Hauraki Plains operations on that side, a distance of over 30' miles; The more rapidly that work is prosecuted the more quickly will further areas of land come in. I know that there has been a very great difficulty in connection with, the matter. It was the desire of the Drainage Engineer 'o puch the work through at an early stage of the drainage operations, but he found that from the nature of the country it could not be done ihurriedily. .Time became the essence of the contract,-and he had unavoidable delay. He .went at it first with the dredge, and then by hand labour,, but the banks would not stand, and time had to be allowed for title ground to consolidate. I do think, however, that sufficient time has now been allowed. Some time ago I enquired in the House as to what was beipg done, and was informed that the work was being resumed, and was being carried on. That was technically correct, but very little gingei* was put into

the effort, and the work has not been prosecuted with the utmost vigour. I wish to impress upon the Minister the need for pushing t'he drainage works generally, and especially the main canal, ahead with all possible expedition. With regard to the soldiersettlers who took up land on the Plains in 1919, I undersand that at the present moment they are liable for the county rates—at any rate the number of exemptions is not large. That, I think, is altogether, wrong. I have already voiced the opinion, that these men ought to be exempt from payment of rent, apd I also contend that for a limited period they should be free from rates. The area occupied by the soldiers is peat country, which cannot be brought in for a. considerable period. Some of the peat, I believe, is 30ft. in depth; Others have peat in less depth, and consequently will take .less time to bring in. My suggestion to the Minister is that he should give those settlers the benefit of the provisions of the bush and swamp sections, pf the Land Act. That would relieve them from payment of rent for a period to be fixed, for, say, four years’, and also relieve them from payment pf county, rates, thus giving them a chance to make good. These men are as fine a class of young, settlers as would be found in any part pf the world—men who have gone into the district with the intention of making homes for themselves. While the Minister has met them in quite a fair spirit by postponing their rent, they are beginning to realise that that is not a great deal of real relief and evehtu.ally they will have to foot the bill. The situation is becoming quite a scare for many of them. They imagine that they can see a load pf debt piling up against them, and they do not know how they are to overcome it. The Minister has a very easy way of giving necessary relief by bringing these lands under that section of the Land Act. He has a precedent for that on the Hauraki Plains in the vicinity of Ngatea, where some of the sections were offered with that exemption. All !he has to do is to turn back to the conditions under which that land was offered. I could go pn talking about the Hauraki Plains for a Jong time, and uttci* none but the highest words of praise for what has been accomplished. The staff that has been engaged pn these works, from the Chief Drainage Engineer, Mr J. B. Thompson, right down, is deserving of the very highest commendation for the manner in which the work has been carried out. With rega.rd Co the Bib, it is in the main quite a good mea-' sure. It has been brought, about as the result of a conference between representatives of the Lands Department and the. local body concerned, and is designed to give the local body a greater measure of freedom of action than they have at present. They have had control over sbme portions, but not over others, and these conditions have not been conductive to the best results, and are, moreover, likely to lead to friction. I would, however, ask the Minister not to hurry t'he Bill through 'its committee stage at the present time. It is only a few days since the Bill was introduced, and immediately I could get copies I forwarded them to the local body and to public men whom I thought were directly concerned and would be in a position tp say whether the proposals contained in the Bill were absolutely satisfactory or not. Sufficient time has not yet elapsed to enable them to reply. The county council met on Monday last, and were to consider it at that meeting. There has, therefore, not been time to receive a written reply since, and the matter is too big to expect a reply by telegraph. T would, therefore, ask the Minister not to hunry the Bill through Committee, but allow time for us to receive word as to whether it satisfactorily carries out the wishes of those concerned, and whether it is necessary to embody anything else. If he will do that it will do away with the risk of friction in/future. The Bill will undoubtedly remove some anomalies, but that it is going to give universal satisfaction I do not anticipate for One moment. Clause 3 of section 2 provides for a repeal which is very innocent looking in itself, but like the postscript to’ a letter, has a sting in it. I am quite sure that it will not be welcomed by some of-the settlers. At t!he present time certain settlers ina defined area are exempt from the payment of ordinary rates to the local body. All they have ha.d to pay is the hospital rate,, and this repeal will have the effect ofl making them liable for the whole of the rates. Naturally, they will not appreciate that, and time ought to be given to the persons concerned to make their representations. With, regard tp clause 3, I am very pleased indeed to see jthat included. It will do away with the injustice that some of the settlers have been labouring under by having to

pay drainage rates both to the Hauraki Plains Drainage Board and to the Lands Department. It will relieve them of .that; and, the succeeding clause obviates th,e risk of anything of .the kind occurring in the future. I am quite sure the Minister’s fairness in introducing this provision will meet with general approbation. It provides, that the wlhole of the area described in the Schedule — the Hauraki Drainage District—shall not be leviable for the Hauraki Plains (Lands Department) drainage rate. That is only fair and gust, and I am sure the Minister or the Department had no intention of penalizing the settlers by making them pay two drainage rates. It was caused by the overlapping of plans or schedules, and some of the people in the vicinity of Turua and a number at the Netherton end were made liable to pay the double rate. Now, this does away .with that, and I am sure ii will give universal satisfaction. Clause 5, sir, I dp not quite understand. It was explained tp us, but stiff I have hot quite grasped what it does really mean. It provides tlhit money, as far as I can make out, derived from the drainage rate may be paid into the Consolidated Fund. 'Well,-’now, if that is only done as a preliminary to expending the surplus money upon roads the settlers ought tp be very well satisfied. ■ But, Sir, if more taxation that is necessary is drawn out of the pockets of the settlers there, to go permanently into tire Consolidated Fund, well, I must object to that. I would like the Minister to make the position absolutely clear. I know what the intention is, but whether..it is expressed correctly or not, I am not so sure. With: regard to Clause 6, that undoubtedly deals with the right of the Department to dispose of the wharves they have erected to the local body, and it is fair and just. In all probability there will be an objection voiced to what is proposed because it would mean that the sellers using. t(hese wharves will not be so lightly let off in the future as they had been in the past. Up to the present no dues have bad to be paid for landing goods on the wharves or shipping goods away, but I am inclined to think when the wharves come under the control of the local body the settlers Will find

that they will have to pay dues, as the wharves will have to be maintained, and interest will have to be provided for. Those are, I think, the principal provisions of the Bill, and the measure generally will give satisfaction, I am quite sure ; but as to whether certain details will give general satisfaction we want to hear something about them from the people concerned, as we have pot had the opportunity of hearing up t'Q the present. Whether some of the people who have had exemption under the provisions repealed by subsection 3 of seation 2 will be satisfied is another matter. Some of them allege that they were directly assured that they would not be liable for local* rates, ; and that it will be a breach of faith if they are rendered liable for those ra(es. I have had shown to me poster where it stated that roads would be formed, and that the work would be done out of the Hauraki Plains Account. Those were original plans. Now, Sir, we have to consider what is really intended bv the phrase “roads will be formed.’’ The only way that they can be constructed, with lasting benefit to the district, is by their being .metalled, and there is no doubt that there are among the settlers some who went in at the very outset, who have not got a metalled road up to the present time. They contend, .and, I think, rightly, that they are entitled to have metalled roads,, and the Government have a big expenditure in frbnt of them if they are going to provide roads of that class —macadamised roads—throughout. If the Government cannot see .their way to do that in entirety, I think it would be quits a fair thing that the Hauraki Plains Fund should stand a subsidy, for metalling/any of l the roads there that the settlers are willing to provide pound for found for. 1 know that the Minister has done a great deal in t!he way of improving the roads. We have every reason to .suppose that in the the land which, has been more recently sold there was a very considerable “loading,” and profit placed on it; and that a lot of that land, which has still tp be balloted for, will stand a certain amount of “loading,” and in that way quite an appreciable fund could be built up. And it could not possibly be put to better purposes-than to provide roads for t'he benefit of the existing settlers and those who come after. It is well known that heavy carting will be the order of the day in that district for all time. The milk 'has to be carted

to the factories every day—in some instances twice a day—and to stand heavy loads like that the settleis must have the very best wads possible. The settlers are willing to rate themselves, and ,the local bodies are putting big rating schemes before •them There ape proposals before the Government now asking for pound for pound, and I submit that the Hau raki Plains Fund ought to come to light, and a good deal ought to be spent from that fund, and in so doing the Government will only be carrying out ,to some extent the promise made to at least some of the sutlers in the earlier stage of this development work that the roads would be formed. As far as the Hauraki Plains are concerned. they cannot be said to be completed until they have, no.t a sprinkling of metal, but a really good coat of metal. If that work is done it will push the district ahead and aid very materially in increasing production. It will give access to some sections that cannot be worked now, and will be a good thing all round.