TAUPO TOTARA TIMBER COMPANY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10459, 25 October 1911, Page 5

TAUPO TOTARA TIMBER COMPANY

PETITION TO THE HOUSE. AN UNFAVOURABLE REPORT. By Telegraph— association. \\ ELINGrTON, Last Night In the House of Representatives to-day, 'the chairman of the Committee whicih heard the petition, from the Taupo Totaii Timoer Company for the right to acquire 200,000 acres, also to constructa.raiiway fvo.n Taupo to Mohi, reported that the Committee had resoiyed that the matter be held over for ' the consideration of Parliament next session, aiid further, that' th© Government should consider the question of opening the country referred to rn the petition. 'Mr Forbes said he thought the company should be at onoe infor.aed that it had no chance of getting a monopoly over a large area, of Native land or a. private railway. Mr Isitt moved that the. prayer of the Jbe not entertaiuej. He could see no use in stringing the Company on. Mr Myers said the Committee ,was of opinion that insufficient reason had been adduced, for granting the prayer of the petition. In answer to Mr Fraser, Sir Joseph Ward said the Government did not favour private railways. Mac Donald contended that it ■Would pay the Government to give away every acre of land in the Taupo district to keep down the rabbit •pest, ■ 'Mr Massey r«as opposed to the issue of >an Order-in-Council in regard to the disposal of' Crown lands. -Hp* did not believe such, orders' were' in compliance with the spirit of the Land Act or the Native Land Act. ■Regarding .branch lines., he thoug?it if the Government would not make them, the .settlers should be allotted to .construct them on the understanding that there should be no monopoly, and the Government could resume the line at a fair price. . Sir Joseph Ward said he was dead ■against private or district railways being, established in the country. It did not matter what the recommendation of the Committee was, nothing would.be done in the-matter without the authority of Parliament: The Government would not allow any large areas of land to be taken up without proper conditions for settlement purposes. The question was talked out.