SWAMP LANDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 151, 16 September 1927, Page 13

SWAMP LANDS

HAIJRAKI PLAINS WORK INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, To-day. A marked increase is shown in production on the Hauraki Plains. R. G. MacMorran, chief drainage engineer, in his annual report presented to Parliament to-day. says available returns continue to show indications of progress throughout the district. Three factories manufactured 1,235 tons of cheese against 1,081 tons in the previous year, and conservative estimates of the other principal items of produce, based on the incomplete returns available, are:—Butter, 2,300 (2,042) tons; hemp, over 1,000 tons. The alue of the stock sold exceeded £45,000 (£32,730). The freight handled by steamers and scows trading between Auckland and Piako River ports amounted to over 8,000 tons. On the earlier settled portion of the area many of the difficulties- which attend land settlement iin swamp country are disappearing. Huscussing the report, Mr. T. W. Rhodes, Thames, said some of the settlers had experienced serious difficulties, but the Minister and the departmental officers had done their best to assist them. Mr. A. M. Samuel, Ohinemuri, said it was impossible to carry out such a huge undertaking without cases of individual hardship, but a marked success had attended the scheme, which was now approaching completion. BURDEN ON TAXPAYER The Government must concern itself With what amount the State and the taxpayers can contribute to any scheme which means further settlement of people upon the land, said the Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister of Lands. It is difficult to say what is a fair proportion for the taxpayer to carry. A sum up to £1,000,000 might have to be met by the taxpayers of the Dominion, but the Minister felt it was only proper that the taxpayers should know what they were asked to pay as their share of the development. Although the drainage works had been carried out economically, he had to confess the Government would be faced with writings off at some period in the history of its swamp drainage development. He recognised that considerable sums of money would have to be written off as far as Hauraki was concerned, as it would be impossible for the land itself to carry the weight placed a&ainst it. The total expenditure to date on the Hauraki Plains undertaking had been in the vicinity of £710,000, while last year’s figures for dairy and other produce, including flax, amounted to £600,000, and the population at present comprised 3,817. Drainage, it had to be remembered, was not a work of today, to-morrow or a week, and the annual maintenance charges rendered it impossible for settlers to meet the whole charge. The report was ordered to be printed. WORK AT KAITAIA Speaking on the Kaitaia swamp drainage report, Mr. Allen Bell, Bay of Islands, said the estimated cost of the Kaitaia swamp drainage scheme was £234,000. There had been a writing off of £109,000, leaving a balance of £125,000 to be borne by the settlers. They had asked that the latter sum be reduced to £IOO,OOO and hoped the Government would favourably consider the request. The Minister of Lands said he had not lost sight of the representations of the settlers on the subject of the allocations. He had visited, the area and had found that a good deal of work had to be done, but as soon as the work had reached a stage when the main scheme had been completed and the balance could be handed over to the local people for future administration, the department would gladly retire from the control. The report was ordered to be printed. . - .