Grass Seed for Settlers.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 355, 27 March 1908, Page 3

Grass Seed for Settlers.

DISGUST IN KAWHIA DISTRICT From reliable icform.tti<.n received on Monday last, the following telegram was sent to tbs Auckland Herald which appeared in that paper the morning : “ Great disgust is prevalent here at the action of the Government relative to grass seed for burnt-out settlers, and what was at one time looked upon as a generous action is now proved to be a more serious blow than the losses caused by the ii ■. When the Commit* ioner fur Crown Linds was here he .-aid lb.it the Government would supply seed, and gave about three weeks »s the time when it would bo forthcoming. Settlers procured,forms, and many r >da miles to find J s.P. to witness their signatures. They sane their applications in and just when they xpected the seed they got a cool wire from the Government that- they will net bo supplied. Meanwhile the seed has advanced in price materially,, and the settlers have lost a months’ time, which is very valuable on such occasions. Some of the settlers have made a special journey to Auckland to find out the true position. So far not a single settler has rscNvod grass seed, nor has anyone been notified that ihoy will do so. 'hough many have been informed Ikr their applications have not been entertained. Feeling is very high here, and the whole matter is looked upon as a huge electioneering dodge. Il is stated that settlers, relying on Government as.-ji.stance, declined offers just after the fire from seedsmen that they would give 12 months’ terms, and, if necessary, would renew the bill for a further six months. Since that time grass send has advanced, in some oases as much as 2s fid per bushtl.

REPLY BY THE DEPARTMENT

Wednesday’s Hera l l says : “A good doaLof misconception seems to ■till axist in the country districts regardfug the Goveratnent assistance towards purchase of seed, following on the recent bush made at the Crown Lands Cilice yesterday respecting complaints from Kawhia wont t > show that very few applications for Feed have boon refused, but, of course it was necessary to make full inquiries, and it has only boen since March Bth that the Commissioner for Crown Lands has been able to get to work on the matter, that being the date of his return from Kawhia. The settler requiring grass seed b fit nt required to fill in an application form and that being satisfactory, the order is at once transmitted to the seed merchant named by the applicant. The merchant then forwards the invoice, together with a promissory note form, to the Battler, and upon return of the promissory note, signed, the seed is despatched. There has undoubtedly been delay over the process of getting in the applications in declaration for ra , but this form was necessary to ensure that the applicants were persons unable to provide seed for themselves. Again, delay has taken place on the Bottlers’ side in returning the signed promissory notes, and some settlers aeem to imagine that they can be supplied with seed resulting from ordinary bushfelling operations, and also for burned fem land •while applications have been received for seed for areas where formerly flax and swamp reeds were growing, and where there was never a blade of sown grass. The help offered is really only to replace grass areas destroyed by the lire on holdings possessed by people ivho have thus been left unable to help themselves. The application in declaration form has also been necessary for neveral other reasona; for instance, seed orders have been cancelled ■imply because, notwithstanding that an order was sent almost simultaneously, the settler had, prior to moving for State aid, ordered his seed elsewhere, and in some ▼ague way expected the one order to stand against the other although place! with entirely different people. However, perlons who have even bought seed are being helped if it is thought they need assistance. Another point is that the staff of the Lands and Survey Office have had an extraordinarily busy lime lately, having had to handle one of the heaviest land ballots that has been held for years, and being engaged in the throwing open of all the lands to be made available under the new Land Act. Two or three officers of the Department have been closely employed for the last 10 days supervising seed selection, and weighing at the seed merchants’ shops, and the Steamer leaving for Raglan and Kawhia tomorrow will take a large quantity of Government orders of seed, provided the necessary conditions have been complied with. While auy delay that has taken place in Auckland is regretted, the officers of the Department are doing their best to cope with the work with the utmost despatch, and provided the settlers facilitate matters ss much us possible at thoir end there ,should not be any delay whatever. Is is also pointed out that settlers have not lost the chance ef resowing at all, as March is the ordinary burning month in Auckland, and the grass seed sowing generally takes place iu April,