[.—Ba

220

No. le, north of the Paraheka Stream, comprises about 1,500 acres of really good easy country, well adapted for close settlement. It is covered with mixed forest, which varies from manuka in the northern portion and along the river-banks to heavy tawa bush towards the south and east. There is also a small area of gorge and blackberry on the northern portion of this subdivision, and gorse, ragwort, and blackberry are to be seen at intervals along the river-banks. The timber on No. Iβ would be barely sufficient for ordinary settlement purposes, and I estimate that the land could be put on the markel a< £2 per acre. South of the Paraheka Stream and north of the Motoiwananga there is an area of about 1,000 acres of very Fnir country, comprising easy slopes and small Hals well adapted for close settlement. The forest on this poition, No. Ih, is mostly heavy tawa, with small areas of manuka am! lightwoods intermixed with a fair quality of rimu and other building and fencing timbers. For settlement purposes I value this land at .£1 15s. per acre. The balance of No. 1h comprises rather rough and broken country about 17.000 acres in extent. The ridges are generally steep and covered with birch forest on top, while from the streams up the sides of the ridges to the birch line the forest is mostly tawa, mixed with rata, rimu, white-pine, A-c, while the soil is of very fnir quality. A peculiarity of this country is a number of tablelands up on the ridges and very difficult of access. These tablelands mostly comprise land of very good quality, and are covered with a good class of forest, mostly tawa, with a fair mixture of useful fencing and building timbers, such as totara, rimu, A-c. I value this block for settlement purposes at 15s. per acre. You will infer from the prices I have put on this country that it does not compare at all favourably with our ordinary Crown lands, either as regards quality of lands or means of access About five years a<ro Mr. H. M. Skeet, District Surveyor, reported very unfavourably on a pronosal to connect the Mokau River with the Ohura Road system, via either the Panirau Valley to the Waitewhena Road, or via the Tikaouta Valley to the Mangakara Road. In Mr. Skeet's opinion either of the above proposed roads would be most expensive undertakings, owing to the length of srrade and the nature of the country to be traversed. Another objection was that these roads would both run for a considerable distance through unoccupied Native land. In the event of the Crown securing the Mokau-Mnhakatino Block the last-named objection would be done away with. It must also be remembered that in the Aria Valley Survey District, to the east of MokauMohakatino and adjoining that block, there is a strip of 8,700 acres of unoccupied Crown land, which is hemmed in on its eastern side by Crown selectors, whose sec+ions back on to the Umnkaimata Range, and on its western side by the Mokau-Mohakatino Block. The above-mentioned Crown land comprises similar country, to that portion of Mokau-Mohakatino adjoining it, and any ronds giving access to the lntter block could be extended so as to srive access to the present Crown lands as well. In my opinion, the fact of this area of Crown land fitting in so well with No. 1h of Mokau-Mohakatino should give additional value to that land from a Crown point of view. So far as I could judtre there should be no difficulty in getting a road down the Mokau River from Totoro as far as the Mangapohue Stream, to where from the mouth upwards the river is accessible for fairly large steamers. Road connection could also be made with the Pnraheka Road via the Paraheka Stream, and this road would bring the mouth of the Panirau within forty miles of Te Kuiti. Both the Panirau and Tikaputa Streams contain a splendid kind of shin<zle, the supply of which appears to be inexhaustible, and the beds of botli streams are strewn from end to end with coal of sjood qual'tv. The Mokan River from the mines to Totoro could ensilv be made n!ivi<rahle for canoes and smnll launches, as the rao'ds, though numerous, present no serious difficulty. In fnet. a small lnunch would have very little trouble in petti nc up to Totnro nt present, provided there wnn plontv of water in the river. Of course, it must be remembered thnt rond-formntion or hushfelling on n large scale along the river-hoiks nr in the watershed would always have a tendency to ob-ti-iict the rive , - ->"d V , it more for navigation. The formation of the country above is a mixture of snndstoro r>pd pnpa. U I am no< hal expenses would have to be charged against this land in addition to the cost of routing and Bvirvev, T carrot very well er*ve the lowest price per acre at which it wo"l<' nay the Government to hm- this block, but the following are the prices nt which I estimate the different portions 0O"ld be disposed of for settlement pin-noses : Mokau-Mohnkntino No. In— 160 acres loss No h> Rptrfion 1 (12 acres) -H8 acres: Nil. owing to its being infested with noxious -e.ls. Mokau-Mohakatino No. 1β—1.523 acres, less No. 1e Section 1 (26 acres , ) = 1,497 acres: £2 per acre. Northern part of Mokau-Mohakatino No. In, eomnrisinc: 1.000 acres: £1 15s per «0.- c . Bnlnnc« of Mokau-Mnhakatino No. Ih, comprising 18,57fi ac- PS . less No. 1h Section 1 0,675 acres) = 16.901 acres: 15s. per acre. E. Tot,m_b, The Commissioner of Crown Lands, New Plymouth. Crown Lands Ranger.

No. 71. [Extract from Report by Me. H. T. Twiss.] „ _ New Plymouth. Bth Mnrch, 1010. Acting under instructions contained in your letter of the 1 <>th February last (3908/78), T } lnvP m'n.-U -m inspection of portion of the Mokau-Mohakatino Block, nnd have the honour to report ns follows : — . , The portion of this block which T inspected is thnt lying to the west of the traverse from Koknhuran"i to Tawhitiraupeka. and, cenerallv spenkine. the land ranges from very rou-h country to first-class river-flats. The bush is mixed and rather light, as is also the undergrowth.