PUTARURU LANDS.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 105, 7 November 1918, Page 3

PUTARURU LANDS.

Petition to the Government. The following text of a petition being circulated by Mr F. C. Barnett, which will shortly bo forwarded to the Premier : " We, tho undersigned settlers of the P'utaru.ru district, urge you to have an investigation into the Land Settlement and Land Finance Departments of the Government towards the lands of the district. We have been encouraged by the Government to put our energies and our- money into this class of country. We believed confidently, and you have repeatedly proclaimed in public your holief that our efforts have proved beyond reasonable doubt that this country can be profitably farmed,' but we find it is being discredited by these departments. We urge that this is a mistaken policy. In the first place it is gravely unjust to us, and secondly, investigation will show that there is an enormous area of this class of country in a climate and with living conditions unexcelled in the Dominion, which, treated in the right way and properly financed could be more profitably farmed than much of the high priced land in the Dominion. We believe you and the Government desire to do , justice to this country, and we urge you to have an open investigation made so that we may have an opportunity of showing both that injustice is being done to us, and that a valuable Dominion asset is being neglected. We desire also to urge you to have the position and prospects of the Taupo railway investigated with a view to some arrangement being made whereby the facilities it affords to the settlers may be made adequate to the growing needs of the district." In conversation with our representative Mr Barnett said the settlers were not satisfied with the way the Government treated the Putaruru district. They wished to demonstrate the quality of the land to a commission which thej' hoped would visit the district. then-be pointed out that it would be more beneficial to place returned soldiers on the Putaruru land at its original valuation, than to wait until it is improved by the private man, and purchase his interests and improvements afterwards. A comparison between the original and present valuations of some properties would confirm this. A considerable portion —some 21,000 acres owned by the Government; is practically roaded, and is benefited by the Taupo Totara Timber Company's railway line running through it. Under a competent supervisor, the soldiers could carry out improvements under a wages system and then take over the land in an improved state, at its original valuation, plus the cost of improvements. The settlers consider that the soldiers must meet with success in their venture, as have all the settlers who have entered the district since it was first thrown open. Already the signatures of 50 settlers have been obtained, but before it is sent in the nunjber will total quite 200.