WHANGAMARINO SWAMP

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 3, 26 August 1931, Page 4

WHANGAMARINO SWAMP

drainage proposals. farmers needing assistance •^ncassertion that if th'3 Whangamarino swamp wer- drained the area first claP^°lUCH ab°Ut 60'0000 a«res of nrst class land _was made in the Hou^e i ii3ePmf-+ ?1V^kby Mr- c- H- Ciin1 (United, Rotorua) during the | bateSe ° r:peech in the Budget de- " f>1?e+,sai5! tkat when he had drawn ; the attention of the Minister of Lands th,e , ™®tter last ses ion, he had stated that, if the only trouble was in connection with the impoundage area -or the Waikato River, tb.ire was no :eason for leaving the swamp in it neglected state. Since then his opinon had been fortified by the opinions n two engmeers, both of whom had tated that the question of the imooundage of watofr on the .swamp was mt a m.aterial point.

i am satisfied from my experie'nce rf , river action,^ said Mr. Clinkard, ?tnat th'e Minister would find on eareul mquiry that the area for water mpoundage is unnecessary. There would he about 60,000 acres of what would be first-class land, and I tblnk mat tbAs is one of the major Oiperaaons that should be undertaken. "Now there are lands in the neighlourhood of Putaruru, where I hope blocks_ will be • opened for develop-

nent rn a very short time. Tbere is me point in connection with State A.dvaneer. loahs to which I would libe Lo refer. In the neighbourhood of Tokoroa some of the lands have been -uffering from bush siekness, hut tbis trouble has since been proved by ci'entist to be really iron starvation. When'ever that class of land has been brought undor the plough and, improved by top dressing it has hecomo quite health/. That han been proved in the Te Puke district, where at one time the farmers were urable to keep "tock. The men on the land in the Tokoroa district are unable to obtain any assistance from the State Advances Department. I am not blaming the department, becau'e I know tbat :t had suffelred severe. losses on some lands, _ the rougher portions of wh'ich were incanable of being brought under the plough, and tbe own'eiv. of which were unable to meet the necessary payments. "I hope that further inquiry will be made so that those peonle will have tbe onportunity of obtaining the assistance from the State that they dere!rve. Then there is the question of provid'Tig finance for the purchase of manures. The difficulty wb/ch the 'arming community has been passing •hrough all over tbe country is accen:uated in those district", where it is 'ssential that fertilisers should be ised, not only for tbe ordinary pro)uct;on of gra "s, but in order to keep ;he land healthy."