THE TAUPO RAILWAY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 84, 29 September 1911, Page 5

THE TAUPO RAILWAY

FURTHER EVIDENCE AT THE INQUIRY. By Telegraph—Press Association, Wellington, Thursday. The Parliamentary committee set" up to inquire into the petition of the Taupo Totara Timber Company for an Order-in-Council to purchase and occupy a targe area of native land, and eventually sell the line to the Government, was resumed to-day. Mir. Jaines Raw. president of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, was emphatically ,of opinion that the ambitions of tho company were opposed to the interests of the State as well as those of the districts concerned. The creation ot such a. monopoly, which proposed to buy 31 square miles of land from the native's without competition, was, he considered, against the country's interest. He had no objection to the company as such, bit if the company could sM the line wTtli the advantages of the large areas of land proposed 'to be acquired, the control of hotels and accommodation houses and means of transit by land and water. as well as the actual possession of the active thermal sights of the district, they were no longer dealing with a company bmt with a ibody of capitalists with a huge monopoly. If the Government agreed to the proposal it would be a party to side-tracking llotorua. It was not'true that Rotorua Apposed the company's suggestion on account of the competition of Taupo and Wairakei.

Mr. Aiyers asked the witness: Would you as a business man prefer to sec the land idle for many years, if told that this syndicate, was prepared io agree thut the Covcrnment should take oven* the Jine at any time at cost price, that the charges were to be of a reasonable nature, that as the. volume of business increased the return was not to exceed a certain limit, when the charges were Io be dcere.ised, and that the syndicate Mas prepared to spend money to prove (bat pumice hind was capable of being fanned satisfactorily, or would you consider (he '.'.rnnliiH: of the charter inimical in any wav to the be-:I interests of the linniinion V

Mr. K.wv replied: U'heiv a company is granted a charter for ail time I think it is against the best interests of the State, even with all the provisos mentioned. In reply to Air. Dalziell, the chairman of the directors of the company, witness said that when he referred to monopolies he referred to the tourist traffic. He. admitted that private ownership of lands was better than native proprietary. Sonic of the Rotorua. holdings had increased in value considerably over 100 per cent. Mr. jjalzie'll: Would it not be better for the community that some attention should be given to increasing the value of this great area of ieHe country rather than further increasing Rotorua values', Witness: I may agree with that, but

not with the maimer proposed. Mr. Dalziell: Would it not benefit Ihfi State? Witness: Indirectly, yes. .John Neil Ale Lean, who also appeared on behalf of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, spoke against the.