SETTLERS’ NEEDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 957, 28 April 1930, Page 14

SETTLERS’ NEEDS

MINISTER TOURS NORTH RATEPAYERS’ REQUESTS Special to THE SUX HELENts\ ILLE, Today Widely-varied requests have been placed before the Hon. G. W. Forbes. Minister of Lands, who is touring the North by motor-car in company with tho Hon. J. G. Coates, member for the district, Mr. O. N. Campbell. Commissioner of Crown Lands for North Auckland, and Mr. R. Macmorran, chief drainage engineer. Deputations w#r« received on Saturday at almost every, town along the route between Henderson and Paparoa. Swanson ratepayers asked that > subsidy of £2 for £ 1 be given on a sum it was proposed to raise for clear ing gorse and blackberry from the front portion of Parr’s Park, vested in a board as a scenic area. The Minister asked for further particulars A survey of the proposed deviation of tli© railway between Morningside and Kumeu, which will avoid “< eeD grades and will shorten the distance from 19 miles to 12J miles, was made recently. A deputation from the Kumeu Ratepayers’ Association asked lor the result of tho investigations Their request will b© referred to file Minister of Railways. The same deputation, headed by Mr. J. Lambder president, asked that the post office should be removed shortly- from its present site, which is liable to flooding. to one of several available in the main street. There was a sum of £ 000 on the estimates for this purpose, but so far no position had been selected. A portion of the land in the Riverhead forestry plantation was inspected by the Ministerial party. Representations had been made by Mr. C. E. Davies that this section should be made available for farming. Mr. Forbes said he quite agreed that it was a wrong principle to use reasonably good farming land for tree-grow-ing, and promised to obtain a report on the portion in question from the Lands Department. The desirability of adding a further 450 acres of bush, which includes a stand of young kauri, to the Motutara Domain at Muriwai beach. was stressed. A sum of £l5O Is also needed for improving access to the motor camping-ground. Sand is encroaching at the rate of two yards a year along a front of 50 miles near this beach, according to a ceputation from the Maretahl Ratepayers’ Association, which waited on the Minister at Helensville. Mr. Coates urged that £SOO to £I,OOO be granted to enable temporary relief to be given to settlers whose land is being spoiled. Waterways are also being blocked. The Forestry Department is preparing to launch a scheme of planting to check sand drift, and good work has already been done through marram grass plantations. A drainage board has been formed to give assistance but is not yet functioning. Consideration was promised.