Tauwhareparae Block.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 295, 7 May 1889, Page 3

Tauwhareparae Block.

[to THE EDITOR.]

Sib, —I have no desire to decry the value of land in Cook County. But I think the system that has held sway, much too long in this district, of inflating the value of land far above its profitable producing capabilities, and also the anxiety of money lending institutions in the past to make advances up to, if not beyond, the full value of the land, have done far more to accentuate the depression we have suffered from for the last five years, than any cries of depreciation. Good land, no matter where situated, will sooner or later find purchasers at its real value Now your evening contemporary has taken upon itself the difficult task of trying to inflate the value of the Tauwhareparae Block, without giving satisfactory data or proof to uphold such value, save the report of Messrs O’Ryan and Dufaur, or rather Mr O’Ryan, for I believe Mr Dufaur did not inspect tbe block. On reference to the report, it states that the slopes of Tutamoe “ are mainly covered with black birch,” the approximate area is not given, but that portion can be looked upon as utterly valueless, also that part covered with ti-tree scrub, about 5,700 acres. Indeed it will be (if not all destroyed) a constant source of expense, for every wind that Blows will scatter the seed far and near, and jieqce smatbev any grass that may be tickled into growth Knowing something of the Tauwharepare Block, I should say there were about 12,000 acres that would carry 1J sheep to the acre ; the remainder I estimate to carry one sheep to two acres, that is when the laud is completely under English grass, and fence# into paddocks, ' The growth on the best portion of the block is of such a nature, that fire is the only method that could be used to destroy it, and it would only do its work imperfectly, hence the ex- ' >ense of sewing seed would be doubled, and : 'or tbe first three years the sheep Would have moat of the wool torn off their backs. Calculating the coat of fencing, grass seed sowing, loss ot stock, fem crushing, interest on outlay before any returns can be reasonably expected, and working expenses, it will be found that the cost per acre would amount to about £2, nearly the full value of the best broken in hill ooqntry iq the neighbourhood of Gisborne and the Waipaoa Valley. It is also very problematical whether English grasses, sown on hIU“, will retain their hold more than a few years, for I have noticed that on several runs the native grass has entirely wiped out the English grasses, and it is well known that native gnus has not half the carrying capacity of English grass. Moreover, reliable authorities say that quite a third of the produce of thesoU is swallowed up in taxes. So if we want speedy and prosperous settlement, do not let us continue the practice too long retained by the Government (but now happily abandoned) of placing so, high a value on land, that it meant ruination to these who were foolish enough to iqvegt their all in the soil j but rather go to the other extreme, and assure to those who are the backbone of the Colony, a prosperous and contented career, and therebv divert the surplus town population into tbe country, and multiply the number of producers.—l am, &0., Svbvbtob,