GALATEA SETTLEMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 83, 28 November 1931, Page 6

GALATEA SETTLEMENT

W. L.

RICHARDS.

! Sir, — Settler's reference to my possible desire to support a "down trodden" Department, is something I do not subscribe to, for the simple reason that I do not consider the Department he refers to is "down trodden." , Granted that Departmental routine j sometimes develops a peculiar mentality, this generally applies to junior clerks not long emerged from the j adolescent period, whose attitude and | demeanour are sometimes reminiscent j of Junior Prime Minister s and are i slightly officious and overbearing. This is not inseparable from the personnel of any large undertaking but to say that a Department is down trodden, which indicates that its officers lack vision, capability and grasp of matters generally, is in my opinion an injustice to the greater proportion of Departmental officers. It would he far better if they were oecasionally eulogised for the many creditahle works they have actually .accomplished. Continual criticism must sooner or later destroy the faculty for accomplishment in man or woman whether he is -a state employee or an associate of private enterprise.

"Settler ' states that land turned over out of green scrub is sour and will not grow English grasses, but judging from the success of the Guthrie Settlement this is obviously incorrect. Messrs Murray Bros. Dobbs, A. Gill and "W. Gill, have areas similar in quality to a portion of Galatea country, and which have been sown to pasture on first furrow from virgin scrub pumice land. These pastures are three to four years old and are a direct contradiction to 'Settler's" statements. Mr. A. Gill's pasture, of rye, coeksfoot, timothy and white clover shows clearly that the method of sowing a permanent pasture in the first furrow from virgin pumice land is sound. I This partieular pasture of good rye and cocksfoot (English Grass) would be hard to exdel by any method. Settler states if given time to sweeten by planting clover etc., there will also be humus to be turned in; this is granted but as against the latter point, clover grows abundant- | ly on pumice land, "and there is a very I general complaint that stock do not s thrive very well on this prolific clover growth. Ngakujra stock are grazing the permanent pastures where manurial treatment has made good, establishment of all grasses, and it is noticeable that the stock are showing a partiality for all these exeept the clover. The cost of preparing Ngakuru country for the occupation by settlers will in, all probability approximate £15 per acre. Apparently "Settler" who sets out adversely to criticise the operations of the Public Works Department is unaware that the development work at Ngakuru was carried out by the Department of Agriculture and not the Public Works Department, and the Department of Agriculture's field officers will deal exclusively with actual .farming operations at Galatea. Owing to the cost of elearing at Galatea being considerably less than the Ngakuru Block, and saving in the cost of water supply, and fencin\ also the larger area involve.d should bring the cost to the intending settler to approximately £13 per acre, ,plus £4 10s, the purchase price of the land. The new road from Te Teko to Galatea, besides giving coastal access to 22,000 acres will make available for closer settlement an area of 15,000 acres a total of 37,000 acres. Even supposing the land was loaded with the cost of this, it would he under £1 per acre, and when one considers that roads in the past have preceded settlement, what is wrong with this scheme when people are eontinually crying out "get on the land and produce more." The stability of our country depends upon it, and now the Government has embarked upon a scheme that is undouhtedly sound, it is criticised because it is alleged a scrub cutter was instructed to wash the nodules from the manuka roots. Pressure on your space prevents me dealing further with Settler's letter, but I hope the few observations I have made will make it clear to at least some of your readers that the personnel of the Department under discussion are not "down trodden" but actively engaged in the development of works which will ultimately .prove of inqstimable benefit to the people of this country. — I am, etc.,

Rotorua, Nov. 27. 4 The "Post" at all times welcomes eorrespondence from its readers. It must, however, be clearly understood that we aGcept no responsibility for the views expressed by our eorrespondents.