THE KING COUNTRY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 386, 12 August 1911, Page 3

THE KING COUNTRY.

ITS GROWTH AND PROGRESS

TAXING IDLE LANDS

SPEECH BY MR. VV. T. JENNINGS M.P.

Speaking in the House of Representatives on the Address in Reply, Mr W. T. Jennings, M.P., said:Sir, I want now to deliver a round and unvarnished tale sc far as land settlement is concerned; and so far as it applies to Maori and Government lands in the most extensive electorate in New Zealand - the Taumarunui electorate. In doing so I will naught extenuate nor set down aught in malice. Many statements have beer, made, and,l believe, with the best intentions, with regard to the land settlement policy of the present Government; but those statements have either been based on ignorance or made with an ulterior motive. I am not going to speak so far as other electorates are concerned, but I stand up here to say to myself and to others who knew the King Country five, six, or seven years ago a most astonishing ■ development has taken place. This development is especially marked in Te Kuiti, Taumarunui, Ohakune, Rangataua, Manunui, Ohura, Otorohanga, Kawhia, Raetihi. and many other places. Most of the places which I have named were less than six years ago fci-tree paddocks. To-day most of these places are nourishing towns, with their systems of up to date local government with their mayors and councillors. There are many flourishing and increasing industries. There is, for example, at Rangataua. the Powellized Wood Preserving Works, the plant of which cost .£17,000; again, at Manunui a large veneering and cabinet making plant is to be installed. Six newspapers have been started, and are doing well; dairy factories and a cheese-factory are working; three agricultural societies have been established: and the timber in dustry is booming. Eight years ago the whole of the population of the King Country, that large area of 6250 square miles of country, did not exceed a thousand bona fide settlers throughout its whole length and breadth. To-day there are no fewer than 19,450 bona fide residents. Now, Sir, in view of these facts I claim from this House and from those who are disposed to acl versely criticise the Liberal party that the developments in this electorate are a standing tribute to the land policy of the Government. I propose to submit presently a schedule of facts and figures as to the development that has taken place, for the information of members. In fact, as I informed the House six months before the North Island Main Trunk railway opened, the advent of the completion of that work would revolutionise the whole of the trade of the. Dominion. That prediction has been fulfilled. People from the South Island and other places have settled there as farmers, as manufacturers, and as traders, with the result that the whole of the country is flourishing. When I leave one part for a few months and return again I am simply amazed at the change, at the rapid growth and progress everywhere. There is, however, one fly in the amber, which does not only appertain to the King Country, but, unfortunately, to most parts of the North Island. I refer to the excessive or undue value of land; but I will deal with this subject later. Much has been said adversely about the opening up of our Crown lands and the Maori lands. I can speak of the Taranaki Land District as a case in point, so far as to show what has been done and what the position is. I have in my electorate to deal with no less than three Land Boards—viz., the Wellington Land Board, the Auckland Land Board, and the Taranaki Land Board. The figures in the state ment which I am going to submit to the House showing the position of Crown and Maori lands in Taranaki are in keeping with the upening up of Maori lands and Crown land* in the Wellington district, and also to a large extent in the Auckland land district. The total area of Crown lands remaining in Taranaki at present date is 241,000 acres. Out of this, ons block

in the Taranga.kau and Waita-anga gorges, exceeding 40,000 acres, is held back from settlement, for climatic and timber purposes, Surveyors are_now engaged upon subdivision of 95,000 acres, and 45,000 acres of that area will be thrown open for selection about September of this year. Practically the Crown lands in Taranaki are now down to a vanishing point. The balance, 109,000 acres, is second class land, in practically inaccessible places; and a settler would need to have two to three thousand acres, as well as a good banking account, to do any good, for he would be paying out large sums of money for three years for felling his bush, fencing, grassing, and stocking his holding. The Crown lands unsurveyed in the different counties are as follow :

Waitomo County 31,846 acres Ciifton County 9,100 ~ Ohura County 76,500 ~

Whangamomona County 50.800 ~ Waitotara County 15,900 ~ Patea County 8,300 ~ Stratford County 1,600 ~

241,446 Now let me deal with the Native lands in the Taranaki district, which are also down to a vanishing point. The total area of Maori lands at date in the Taranaki district is 338,95S acres. Out of this 125,700 cres were disposed of under the act of 1894, and prior to April 1910. Since then, when the Act of 1909 came into operation, an area of 76785 acres has been surveyed for sale and leasing. In addition, from the total of 338,958 acres must be taken the Mokau-Mohakatino block, known as Jones's, which has an area of 53,970 acres. There are thus only 82,500 acres of Maori lands left in the Taranaki land district, and most

jf it is only second class land, difficult of access. Classified into the various cuunties, the remaining Maori lands are as follow : Waitomo County 108,195 acres Ohura County 121,425 ~ Clifton County 45,617 Whangamomona County 15,093 ~ Patea County "75 ~ Waitotara County 47,550 ~

Sir, I am amazed at tinus when I hear the statements so freely marie not only by the leader of the Opposi tiun and his friends, but by the Onposition press, in regard to what is i taking place, so far as land settlement, is concerned. I claim that the figures T have given, and which are taken f-om authentic records, are proof con- ; c usive that the land is being rapidly | settled at any rate, so far as the | Taumarunui district is concerned. Let other members speak as to their own electorates. Then, to go a step further, in regard to the operations in the Maori Land Board districts: in the Taumarunui electorate for the period of one year and nine months ending March, 1911 the amounts of land approved of by the Boards and disposed of are as follows: Lands leased by owner and approved, by Boards; '99,90S acres; bud sold by owners and approved by Boards, 31,938 acres; lands sold under Part XVIII, 190P, 00,9118 acres; lands j leased under Part XVIII, 1909, 5696 acres; vested land leased by Boards, 4622 acres; vested land sold by j Boards, 1823; total 119,955 acres, j An area of 31,699 acres in this elec- j torate is being dealt with, and the ! larger part is being submitted by the J Maori Land Board for sale and lease j by public tender. Tenders are to close i on the 14th August. This makes a ■ total of 231,654 acres disposed of on the date above mentioned. Again I appeal to the intelligence of the House ! and I ask, are not these facts sufiici- i ently strong to warrant my claim that i the policy pursued by the present Government has been one which has led in a large measure to success and pro- '. sperity as far as the people of this Dominion are concerned? Sir, going back from that part of land settlement, which practically deals with Taumarunui electorate, I want now to ! deal further with the land question \ from a general point of view. I think j one of the dancers to this country in ' the future and if it is not grappled; with by those gentlemen who are on : the Ministerial benches now I am ; uite satisfied it will be grappled with by some others —is the question of the limitation of the area of land. That question is one that must be fairly squared sooner or later by this House. I am indiffe-ent myself as to which side it comes from, because 1 wiil support any party that wid come forward with a strong proposal to bring about the limitation of the area of : land that are suitable for close settlement. I have seen land in various ; parts of this North Island very suit- ! able indeed for small dairying purpoes, where the settlers have peti- j tioned me asking that these lands | should be secured by the Government, | so that they would be able to do better j in regard to supplying their co-opera- ; tive dairy factories; but these lands; have gone into the hands of people j who. in my judgment and opinhion. ! have more "than enough. The honourable member for Wanganui inter- | viewed the Prime Minister last Feb- j ruary when he was on his way to Tara- I naki. He introduced a large number j of settlers from the Kai-iwi district I to the Prime Minister, and they asked that, in the case of a large area of j land in that district, where the leases j were within a few years of expiring, I it should be secured by the Govern- j ment for close settlement. I was sorry j to see trie answer the honourable member received; it was to the effect that | there was nothing in the law to allow ' it to be done. I want to see the law j in similar cases altered as soon as j possible. It was Maori land leased to j Europeans. I now want to refer to j another aspect of the land question. ; Taking up a very valuable little paper ; quite lately, called the "Dairyman." I I found this heading in the issue of i the2oth July : "Taxing Idle Lands'.' 1 It is a most remarkable statement, and I ask the House to ponder and ; weigh well what it means. It reads ; as follows:- -"A remarkable letter was j recently published in a Waikato daily | on 'Taxing Idle Lands.' The author Mr J.' Johnston, Rotorua. explodes the fallacy that the majority of lands j lying idle in this Dominion are held by I Maoris. Quoting from the Official j Year Book, he shows that 'Private Europeans hold at the present time in | occupied and unoccupied freehold lands; 18,591, 563 acres; in lands leased from | the Crown, 18,264,083 acres; and in I lands leased from the Maoris 3,206,000, acres: making, without lands leased I from local bodies, a total of 40,000,000 ; acres for tiie condition of which pri- ' vate Europeans are directly respon- ; sible. The improved lands of the j Dominion at the present time, including surface-sown grass lands, total j 15,679,943 acres, so it will be seen j that private Europeans are responsible for holding in idleness more than 24,000,000 acres, an area more than three times as great as the whole of the Maori lands put together.' " Now, Sir, that is a most remarkable statement, and, if it is true, I think I can claim even from the honourable gentlemen on the Opposition benches that they do not want a condition of affairs like that—that 24 acres of land belonging to Europeans should be lying idle. Mr Massey. —■ Not belonging to Europeans. Mr Jennings. I am giving the statement as it is published, and, Sir, the "Dairyman" is not often wrong. Mr Johnston further says, "I wish to point out at once that these unworked lands are not, as might be supposed, situated in newly settled distrcts, where, of course, settlers must be allowed reasonable time to reclaim their holdings. In Waipa County the unimproved lands amount to 38 per cent, of the total area; in Mokau they amount to 48 per cent.; in Waikato to 64 per cent.; and in Piako to 69 per cent. Almost all the lands in these

counties are composed of open country; the counties have been settled for half a century, and these lands are almost entirely in the hands of Europeans." Sir, if even only half of Ih.> above statements of Mr Johnston are true, I say it is a state 0? affairs that neither side of politics in New Zealand wishes to see, and we should endeavour to grapple with at o ice. The speculation that is going on in lands is detrimental to the best interests of the people of the Dominion, and the leader of the Opposition knows it as well as I do, and that, further, is a drawback to the men who are bona fide working on the land. I know what the leader of the Opposition has at heart, and 1 agree that he is fighting for the men on the land. But I say this that I have not often heard him get up and ask what we are going to do with the large areas cf land held for speculative purposes. If he will join with me and others of the same mind in this matter he will find that there is very little difference of opinion so far as that is concerned. 1 have seen the results of speculating in land in Australia and in all parts of New Zealand, and, sooner or later, if anything comes to stop our prosperity, what would be the result? Therefore I say it is wise that we should grapple with this problem as soon as possible.