THE TAUWHAREPARAE ENDOWMENT

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3332, 26 September 1911, Page 3

THE TAUWHAREPARAE ENDOWMENT

COST OF SURVEY AND ROADINC. WILL SMALL SECTIONS BRING THE BEST RETURN? The question of surveying x li3 remaining portion of the Tauwliaropui’.ie endowment in order to lease it in suitable areas was again discussed by the Harbor Board yesterday. The chairman stated that the following tenders had been received Mr. King, £1385 8s 4d; Colonel Winter, £2625; Mr. A. Forde Matthews, £3062 10s. The chairman said that the tenders were for cutting the block into from 12 to 15 sections. He moved that the lowest tender be accepted. Air. Smith: Better let it in two blocks.Air. Clark said that he thought the best plan would he to let it in two blocks. If they were going to cut it up for small settlers they would have to pay very high for it, and what guarantee was there that they would get a road. He pointed out that the cost of making the road would be about £4500, and with the cost of the survey this would mean the cost .would he approximately £6OOO, and that would be five years’ rent gone. His view was against the popular view. They were custodians of a public property and should get the most out of it. Unless they gave tenderers a guarantee of a road they would not go there, and they would nor do so well by cutting it into small sections as they would by dividing it in two. He knew the country pretty well, and the men who went there without roads would only give them half price, or they would be lunatics. They should dither make it into blocks or make roads before they let it. The chairman thought it would be sufficient to fall the bush so that they could take pack-horses in.

Air. Clark: You know nothing of farming. Mr. White pointed out that the road would have to be formed before a public body would take it over. Air. Clark said he believed they would get interest on the money expended on road making if they made the road first.

Air. Holden -thought that the roads shouis be put in so" that tenderers for leases could see how they would get to the'v sections. Seeing the high tenders they received for the survey they could rest satisfied that it rough country. There was something wrong when thev wanted 3s an acre for surveying biisli country. They should get a rough survey without getting all the . lines, and see what the roads were going to cost. Air. Humphreys thought they should ascertain the cost of roading, and if it, together with the survey, was going to cost thousands of pounds, he would he agreeable to the land being cut up in two sections. Air. Clark thought the survey price of Is 7d an acre was a reasonable price. Air. Witters wanted to know if it would not be wise to form a road and give an idea of what the cost would be, together with the expenses of survey. He moved that tenders be called for road making. Air. Lysnar pointed .out that in three years at 2s an acre they would soon be able to wipe off the cost. After further discussion it was decided to communicate with Air. King and ask him for an estimate of the cost of road formation.