KING COUNTRY LAND.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 275, 9 July 1910, Page 5

KING COUNTRY LAND.

Some Large Holders.

MR HOGG'S VIEWS. When Mr Hogg, M.P., visited the

King Country over a year ago as Min

ister of Roads, he complained that its 1 eyes had been picked out, and that a great deal of the land was held by awaiting the advent of roads, bridges, public works, and land hungerers. This opinion he arrived at because the best of the land had been privately leased with the consent of the Native Land Court or Council for terms amounting to more than an average lifetime, and in some cases the lessees were neither occupying nor improving it. Last session Mr Hogg applied for a return of the land transactions during the last five years, and this has now been furnished. The return occupies sixteen pages. Most of the areas are leased at a rental of 6d to Is per acre. The following are a few of the leaseholders:—K. J. B. McCardle, 3261 acres; James McCardle, 2000 acres; A. M. McCardle, - 2837 acres; A. D. McCardle,* 1093 acres; V. A. McCardle, 2700 acres; A. D. McCardle, 2014 acres; T. E. McCardle,. 1305 acres; R. A. Symes, 1615 acres; A. Symes, 1100 acres; A. and R. Symes, 346 acres; Lowry and Watt, 15,797 acres; W. Craig, 11,724 acres; T. Craig. 1557 acres; Vera €raig, 1259 acres; J. Craig, 668 acres; W. Craig, junr., 241 acres; R. B. Lusk, 3984 acres; W. A. Burch, 3425 acres D. Berry, 3347 acres; S. and W. Jones, 3322 acres; C. McDonnell, 4000 acres; C. Davis, 3860 acres; Thos. McVilley, 4600 acres; E. H. Hardy, 2795 acres. Mr W. T. Jennings when asked to express an opinion on the statement made by Mr A. W. Hogg in the House of Representatives the other evening, to the effect that the eyes had been picked out of the King Country, and that certain settlers had become

possessed of vast tracts of land, said - that he was struck with the large areas of land which were shown by Mr Hogg's return to be held by families but one would have to be acquainted with the quality of the land to join in the condemnation. He knew many parts of the King Country where 2000 oj 3000 acres would not be excessive for stock growing purposes, particularly where it was bush or uphill Referring to the largest holding quoted* that of Messrs La wry and Watts, of 15,797 acres, he said that this could hardly be called the King Coantry proper. It was a part of the Kaimanawa Plains, and was formerly held by , Messrs Studholme Bros., of Karioi, who threw it up. The soil of the greater part of this holding was practically of a pumiceous quality, and some of the large areas set forth in the return adjoined the Maori lease land held by Joshua Jones, '■:■■■ between the Taranaki and Auckland provincial districts. Continuing, Mr Jennings said that he quite agreed that if holdings of'looo or 2000 acres were in any way fit for dairying the areas were too large. There was a large amount of Crown land, particularly in the Waimarino portion of the King Country, which, with the completion of the Main Trunk line and the opening up of communication with the Wanganui river, was very suitable for closer settlement.