TAUPO RAILWAY

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 249, 19 September 1929, Page 2

TAUPO RAILWAY

EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF LINE

WELLINGTON, Sept. 18. Evidence was heard before the M to Z Public Petitions’ Committeo of the House of Representatives in connection with the petition of Ed.vaiu Vailo, and 88 others, asking that construction work on the 'iaupo-Rotorua railway be resumed. Mr Vailo first of all asked for the Public Works estimate of the cost of a bitumen road to be laid before the committeo.

The chairman (Mr T W. McDonald) refused, saying that the subject of ihe petition was a railway and not a road. Mr Vaiie then asked that witnesses should bo sworn, but it was pouted out that this procedure was not adopted before a Parliamentary committee. Mr Vailo referred to timber lands that would bo opened up by the construction of the railway. He said that on every occasion that the railway had been before the committee it had been unanimously recommended that it be constructed. He was atrakl the Government had looked into the matter from the point of view of the £700,000 to be expended, and no votes .to be gained. lie owned 2000 acres not on the route of the railway to Rotorua, but on an extension of the lino to Taupo, which, personally, ho looked upon as inevitable, so his own interests were nil. As proof of his disinterestedness, ho offered to sell the land to the Government for closer settlement at its. present value. The petition had the support of Rotorua pubiic bodies, and the Farmers’ Union. They claimed that it was a national crime to keep locked up the land which tlio lino would servo. As evidence of the productivity of the land, ho exhibited samples of root crops and displayed photographs. The area was the only one of its size in the Dominion which had no access by land or sea.

Halbert Alexander Goudie, forester, said he had been in charge of the State Forest activities in the Rotorua area practically since their inception and lie was quite satisfied that they would not get a fair run unless there was a railway to the area. The area served by the line would be 300,000 acres of Government and private forest land, capable, when fully planted, of producing 3,000,000 feet of timber annually. If due consideration was given to afforestation, . the railway would ue built. It had been definitely shown before a previous commission that tlie line would at least pay expenses. Witness said that the oldest trees would be nullable in ten years and a fair amount of sawn timber would come out in fifteen years. There would be an increasing amount after that.

A. Hansson, representative of the Forestrv Department, said it would be 25 to c!i) years before the bulk of the timber would be ready to come out. A number of farmers supported the statements made by Mr Vaiie as to tlio productivity of the land. William J. Parsons, a farmer at Guthrie, who had farmed in the district for 16 years, gave it as his opinion that the country lent itself to intensive cultivation, and in the course of time would consist of ono man farms of 50 to 60 acres. There were great possibilities in the land in the area and he believed the railway would bring'settlement. Mr W. A. Parnham, farm manager, of lteporoa, said he lrad broken in 1250 acres of pumice land in the last five years at an average of £5 per acre. No other dairying land in New Zealand would carry a cow so cheaply. Less cultivation was needed on the pumice land as compared with Canterbury. By means of a railway the country could be closely settled. He believed that sickness among cattle would disappear as the land was cultivated and consolidated. The pumice lands were the finest clover-grow-ing country he had seen. Even if a road wore built through the country a railway would be ultimately necessary. The land was capable of giving a return in crops within a year of ploughing. . For want of settleme.it noxious weeds were gaining possession.. Tlio speediest method of breaking in the land would be 'by means of groan settlement camps of men. Those men could then take up farming areas, but supervision would be necessary. Mr W. G. Butcher, farm manager, Strathmore, Reporoa, estimated that an expenditure of £5 per acre would bring the pumice land into fair pasture. The last three or four ballots in the area had attracted a large large number of applications. He thought it a great mistake for the railway to be stopped. A railway would enable the settlers to secure cheaper fertilisers. “Preiudice and lack of access have kept the country hack,” added Mr Butcher. Witness thought 50-acre farms would be too small. He favoured farms of 150 to 200 acres to start with. All the unemployed could be settled on the country. Most of those who had gone on the pumice land had done well. Mr H. M. Martin supplied the com* mittee with returns from his farm at Ngongotaha. He stated that even if a road were put in, tho railway would have to ultimately come. Motor lorries could not ship timber as cheaply as the railways, or carry fertilisers at so low a cost. He thought it a mistake to buy improved farms; it was better for those going on the land to start on the raw material. Mr Vaiie remarked that it had been suggested that members of tho committee would like to see the country for themselves. Should they choose to visit it some week-end lie and Mr Butcher would be pleased to show them over as much of the country as was possible. Mr Vaiie again asked for tho comparative cost 6 of the road and railway, the petitioners, he said, feeling that it was reasonable that they should have that information.