EAST COAST LINE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 348, 8 October 1932, Page 6

EAST COAST LINE

Our District Representative)

ORGANISED EFFORT FOR REDUCTIONS IN FREIGHTS FARMERS' UNION MEETJNG .

(From

A meeting of the Opotiki braneh of the Farmers' Union was held at the secretary's rooms on Thursday morning. The chief business was to discuss the question of the East Coast railway. The secretary read a telegram from the chairman of the Railways Board (Mr. H. H. Sterling) asking if the union could arrange for their deputation to meet the board in Auckland on Tuesday next. He advised that after consulting with the president, he had wired a reply to the effect that the notice was too short to arrange a meeting and that the board already knew the union's views

' on the question. What they reaiiy desired was to have all sections of the community in this district given an opportunity to discuss the matter with the board and with the Prime Minister before the board came to any actual decision with regard to the closing of the Taneatua line. The president then invited a general discussion on the whole question of the railway. He said that the "Rotorua Morning Post" had recently reviewed the matter at some length and he thought that in view of the fact that other bodies were once more taking the mattsr up, the Farmers' Union should do everything in its power to further the interests of the farming community by getting some concerted action in connection with this matter. He quoted instances of businessmen in Taneatua who were anxious to deal with' the railway but were totally unable to do so owing to the high fr eight charges. Mr. Bradshaw remarked that it seemed to him as though Parliament and the Railways Board were playing battledore and shuttlecoek with the matter.

Remit To Be Sent After considerable discussion as to what might best be done to impress on the board the very real anxiety of the district to have something done in the matter, it was decided that a remit should be sent, the actual wording of which was left to the president and secretary and that the secretary should write to all other branches throughout the Bay of Plenty requesting them to press for a reduction in the freight rates. The members all agreed with the president that it would be a distinct advantage if the railway could quote freight rates and give service by means of motor lorries to Opotiki instead of to Taneatua only, as at present. A delegation was appointed to wait on the Chamber of Commerce at their meeting on Friday night when the matter of the railway will he discussed. Land Settiement The president said he wished to bring

up tbe matter of closer land settiement in this district. He specially wished to refer to a large hlock of country owned by Mr. H. S. Holmes which had been offered to the Government on most favourahle terms for closer settiement. At the invitation of the "Rotorua Morning Post" he had accompanied their representative on an inspection of the property when it was understood that the Government had declined the offer. Since then advice had been received that the Government were considering the matter and he was now chiefly concerned as to the actual lines on which tbe Government would subdivide it. He believed he was right in saying that under the present system the only plan available was the Small Farm Plan. If this was so he was very much' afraid that the block J might be cut up into such small sections as to make it useless from a practical farmer's point of view. All members agreed with the pre-

sident that such a move would be practically disastrous and most undesirable. From their knowledge of the section, it was obvious that on the terms offered it could be cut up into really suitable farms if sub-divided in a reasonable manner. The president then asked tbe meeting to giye some indication as t'o what 'area they considered would be suitable in the case of this particular property. It was unanimously decided that as practical farmers, they strongly recommended the Government not to cut it up into less than 150 acres, each section to include some of the steeper hill country at the back of the property. Arising out of this discussion a committee was formed comprised of Messrs A. E. Martin (presiaent), J. Dunlop, J. R. Jurd, and R. Looney, to inspect any property in this district which might be offered to the Government for closer settiement, with a view to advising the Government as to its suitability etc.