VISIT TO WAIKAIA AND WAIKAKA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 32

VISIT TO WAIKAIA AND WAIKAKA.

GORE, August 12.

The Minister and party left Gore by special train about 9 o'clock this morning for Waikaia, and on the road the Minister was waited upon by Messrs A. Alexander, H. Cromie, and M; and W. Miller. Mr Alexander, on behalf of the tettlers. asked lor a loading banK at nams Station, so that the settlers might load their- implements and produce. The Minister said he did not think there, would be any trouble about that as' long as the bank did not cost more than £20.

OPENING OF THE RAILWAY

URGED

The party arrived at. Waikaia in due course, and there a deputation was introduced by Mr W. Fraser, M.P. . The deputation was from the Eailway League. -Mr J. Maher, addressing the Hon. Mr M'Kenzie,' said *hat in the first place he wished to thank the Minister on behalf of the league for visiting the district He regretted that the visit was so short He wished to place before the Minister one matter that was giving the settlers some concern. It was understood that the line would be completed on or about September 15, when all the rails would be laid and the ballasting finished. At the present time the Public Works Department was carrying away the goods, which was a good thing as far as it went. Tenders had not been called for the terminal buildings, however, and it was I probable that these would not be completed for another three months. If the traffic was not started wh*n the line was ! finished (at which time, he presumed, the ballast engine would be taken away), it would mean that the district would be deprived of railway facilities for a time until the line was taken over by the Railway Department. He urged the necessity of having the service maintained a& soon as the permanent way was finished. _ . „ Mr H. Sproat and Mr W. Christie endorsed what Mr Maher had said. Mr Fraser mentioned that the district was at present being served by the ballast engine, by means of which the beason's harvest had been taken to market. It was thought that as soon as the line was finished^ this engine would be taken away, as it would be required elsewhere. The Minister It will. " ! Mr Fraser : Then there will be no engine, and if there is any delay on the part of the Eailway Department in taking the line over it wiL mean that for a time there will be no train running Can any arrangement be made so tnat th-sre will not be any break? Perhaps some arrangement .could be come to Det.ween the Public Works and the Railway Departments. . , The Minister expressed his pleasure at being present, and said he was gratified to know that the settlers' long wait had at length come to an end. A train hail that day been run practically to the terminus-(;' Hear, hear"),-and another three months would not exhaust their patience after 25 years' of patient waiting. He had no doubt that some reasonable arrangement would be made as soon as possible to «uit their ends, though personally, he did not know anything of the proposals of the Railway Department. There was no reason why the line should be kept idle, tnd he supposed a daily service would be sufficient, i Mr Maher: We will be satisfied witn that. The Minister: I think you may rest assured that something will be done to accommodate you

COMPENSATION CLAIMS.

The second deputation, introduced by Mr Fraser, consisted of Messrs J. Maher, K. M'Kenzie, J. Davidson, and R. AW "Moffitt, who wished to ascertain their position with "regard to compensation for lands taken for {he lailway. The member for the district said that so far no compensation had been paid for the land taken,-and some of the settlers had been informed by the Government valuer that they were not entitled to compensation. Mr Maher said he thought the Government should deal leniently with the settlers in question. A mere bagatelle had been paid for the land taken, most of which had been reserves. As far as the settlers were concerned, many of them were very eailv residents, and the total amount involved was only something like £200. Two years had passed away since the land was taken for the railway, and up to the present nothing had been said regarding ths matter of payment. It was. he thought, time that, some arrangement was made. He was affected to the extent of two acres himself at Waipounamu. Mr Davidson said that wlTen questioned by the valuer, he stated that he wanteJ only a reasonable price. ,

The Minister : Yoa were given the rail\i ay crossings, were you not . Mr Davidson replied in the negative. and said he would like to get- one. The valuer had made out that the settlers weie really indebted to the Gnvernment. Mr M'Kenzie said that he also was ■without a crossing, and his land had been cut up, so that it was difficult to work. The Minister said he thought Mr Bold, the valuer, was an excellent officer, and he was suje he would do no injustice u> the settlers, who might rest -assured that they would get every penny they were entitled to. There was a law to provide for the crossings. As for the payment of compensation, he did not ♦think the land plans had yet Been approved, and until these were to hand no compensation could be paid. Had there been a hard-headed Minister of Public Works when the land was taken, and he had asked the. settlers

to give their land for a railway, they would no doubt have acquiesced. He would inquire into the whole of the claims on his return tc Wellington, and the settlers might expect an early reply. He mentioned that he had had a telegram from the Hon. Mr Millar as to taking the Orepuki-Waiau line over, and was pleased, because the engine and plant were wanted elsewhere.

THE WAIKAIA COMMONAGE.

The remaining deputation waited on the Minister with regard to matters connected with the Waikaia commonage.

Mr J. Milne said the trustees were responsible for the destruction of rabbits and noxious weeds within the area of the commonage. At the present time there were several dredges at work within their boundary, from which from £150 to £180 was derived annually by the . Southland County Council. The trustees receive! none of this revenue at all, and had to make ends meet on a pittance of somo £38 per annum, out of which they had to provide for the destruction of rabbits and clear away the weeds. This sum was not nearly sufficient for the purpose, and .consequently they wre always in trouble with the Stock Department. Moreover, the dredges wore leaving the country in an absolutely worthless state. Grass s-hould be sown on the tailings, but there was responsibility and no revenue to deal with the responsibility. Mr Handyside said that, owing to the land being Crown land, the warden had no alternative but to grant the claims when they were applied for. The Minister said the matter was not one that he could deal with. An amendment of the law was required. There was no money available for the purpose. In all truth it was a hand-to-mouth existence, and unless Uie Commonage Committee got some funds it would go by the board. Mr J. Handyside (the secretary of the Commonage Committee) said the dredges had left behind a heritage of gravel, on which the gorse and rabbits flourished alike.

The Minister said the position was quite clear. The commonage had been formed, when there "was no thought of dredges, and really the present position was somewhat unfortunate. The revenue from the dredges was, of course* goldfields revenue. The County Council was not entitled to the revenue, but the trustees were. He would .place the matter before his colleagues. The Minister and party then returned to Gore, stopping at Riversdale for dinner, and at 3 o'clock -started by special train for Waikaka, where "several deputations were introduced to Mr M'Kenzie by Mr Fraser.

THE WAIKAKA COMMONAGE,

■ In introducing a deputation as to certain matters connected with the Waikaka Commonage, Mr Fraser explained that the Commonage Committee complained that Mr Paterson had from the Public Works Department 50 acres of land on the commonage to compensate him for land taken for railway purposes. Another cau&e of complaint was that the committee had issued grazing licenses to people to run stock on this 50 acres as well as the rest of the commonage. The rights under these licenses extended to the end of December, and by the elimination of this 50 acres an injustice had been done. - Mr Tweedie and other members of the deputation enlarged upon the subject. The Minister pointed out that under the law there was- power given to the Minister of Public Works to compensate the freeholder for land taken for railway purposes by paying him either money or the equivalent value in Crown lands. The deoartment sent "an agent into the district to inquire as to whether the granting of these 50 acres would be detrimental to the district or not, and also to ascertain the views of the Land Office in .regard to the 50 acres. If the agent reported that there was no objection to the land being granted as compensation, that was done.

The members of the deputation urged that this agent should have called upon the Commonage Committee. " The committee had never heard anything of the granting of the 50 acres. If it had it would have protetted very strongly against it.

Mr Fraser said he thought the real desire was to prevent a recurrence of such a thing. If it was not prevented the whole commonage might be gradually eaten up.

The Minister replied that it was Crown land, and it could be resumed by the frown. Tt was too late to go bae.'c, but it was very improbable that any more alienation of the commonage would take place without reference to the committee.

Membeie of the deputation then wanted to know, seeing that there was a sludge channel running through the 50 acres and the water running through was water which Mr Paterson desired to get, whether Mr Paterson could claim clean water in the sludge channel. The Minister's reply was to the effect that, the sludge channel having been there before Mi Paterson got the land, he took fcuch water as the kludge channel carried.

Mr Lamb referred to a case where a section had been taken up as a residence area, and after a time abandoned for fyome yea is. He had heard that the license for this residence area had lately been transferred by the warden to some other person. He feared that the present holder might plant tree^s upon it, and by that means found a claim for compensation if the area was required for nlining purposes. This section, he believed, was on the line of a deep rich lead that was known to exist, and he wanted to know whether the warden could so transfer an abandoned residence area to iome other perfcon. The Minister replied that he did not think it could have been abandoned, but he would look- into the matter.

Mr Lamb urged that if it was intended at any time to cut the commonage

up it should be leased in. small areas, ancfc that care should be taken to reserve all known auriferous lines of races. The Minister recommended them to form a miners' association to look after these matters. He would look into the question of the commonage, and if he could stop what had happened he would do so.