COMMISSION ON TOUR.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5029, 20 September 1926, Page 3

COMMISSION ON TOUR.

OF AREA.

CONDITIONS MET WITH.

The Commission on Wednesday was engaged on a tout of inspection. Most of the 'farms on the northern side of tile tramline road and those on the Pate.toiiga-Morrinsvillei r,oad which back on to the ponding area were visited and thoroughly examined under the guidance of the owners, who were given every opportunity to explain their difficulties. From the nature off the investigation and the manner ip which it isbeing carried out the settlers aie anticipating that the report of the Commission will be very favourable, and that something vehy beneficial will be suggested. No one seeing the conditions of the land as pointed out to the Commission and hearing the statements. 'Of the settlers could form 'any other opinion than that something drastic would be recommended. Undoubtedly the great difficulty which will confront the Commission will be to find a solution, for the conditions vary greatly, even in adjoining sections. Tn some, places the land is apparently worthless, and the obvious solution would be for the Government to resume'it, as suggested by the Minister of Lands in Parliament recently. Parts of some sections could be sold dr leased, while other parts might olnly be of use as. flax dr grazing leases. In other places the settlers might be able to carry on with a great reduction in valuation. The problems encountered did not concern drainage alone, and as much improvement as desired in that direction would not be a panacea. In many cases improved drainage would cause consolidation to such an extent that the surface would be so low that further drainage would be impossible and the land would become permanently sour. When there is a d e pth of 20ft of peat 'and the surface is nea.r sea-level it is obvious that drainage will not give relief. In some places very good results have been secured by. the use df fertilisers. By top-dress-ing at the. rate of 2cwt Pflr acne three tmes a year one settler has carried a cow to the acre, the cows averaging 2501 b of butter-fat, a season. However, some settlers have not the money ■to buyhnanure and are hdt able to borrow any moire. Some have be,en on their holdings for thirteen years and have spent hundreds of pounds, yet their farms and prospects are now worse than when the' district was settled. In.eight years one pettier has only taken 17,0001 b of butter-fat from his 57 a,cres. This fact was told to the Commission by one farmer visited on. Wednesday. Whether it was an outstanding case or not will be disclosed when-all the evidence is given formally.* ’ A peculiar fact is that though some settlers-have Worked very hard and spent a great deal of money, it is sometimes impossible to see any difference in their farms from those, of men who have not worked or spent moSiey. Naturally, all the .land is not alike. In some places the,re is a farm or part ' of a farm that is a picture to please > any farmer, and alongside there is an a.rea practically barren except for moss. Nearer the hills the soil is generally much better, as it contains clay and sand. From some such farms very big returns have been .secured and the settlers are quite satisfied with their holdings. One farm visited neaj’ the river was typical of several in that locality. It was taken up twelve years ago, when the. surface was flat and smooth and wejl above flood-level. After’a burn it was grassed, and the growth was sd amazing that it is still the subject of comment. A similar farm alongside changed hands a few years ago at £54 an acre, the purchaser being' considered a very lucky man. Last year he walked off. With consolidation innumerable stumps came to the surface, and floodingwyas experienced and the grass drowned dr tramped out. No amount of working could bring the soil-back to a fit state for stocking. There is some rough feed in the summer, but during a" considerable portion of the year the surface, is not strong enough to carry the, weight of stock. Blackberries are spreading to the area and it is impossible to check them, and what will, probably be a more, serious menace is tha.t e.very flood brings down tall fescue seed frofn the Waitoa district. 'x These cases give some indication of the, problem facing the Commission. The Commissioners are going very thoroughly into the matter, and ak two of them are farmers with a wide Experience, of swamp lands and Mr Murray is an engineer, the settlers are confident that the report to the Minister of Lands will be a Valuable document. x

Tlie Commissioners and al], those connected with the inquiry on Thursday earned their remuneration. The party left Kerepeehi at 8 a,.m. and proceeded to Kaihere Landing by launch. From there they proceeded by car to Mangawhero Road, stopping on the way to look into settlers’ grievances. With a view to letting the ' Commissioners’ car get down the road ‘ the settlers had used ploughs, discs, graders, and scoops, and ha,d tnere not been heavy rain during the night, the road would have been in good order. As it was, the car sunk deep into the new filling and eventually became stuck a couple of miles from Mr F. Pearson’s house, where lunch was provided. After lunch the evidence of setters in the deep peat area was. taken in camera. The day was bitterly cold and windy, and there were several -heavy hailshowers. At 5.30 p.m. an adjournment was made, and after struggling through the mud • back to the cars the party motored to Patetonga, where dinner was provided by Mrs W. Thompson. Evidence, in camera, was taken in the hall until at 10 otclock the long, slow, dismal trip oh th® ’"truck to the wharf was undertaken. The journey down the river did not take long, but it was nearly midnight before Kerepeehi was reached.