F. G. DALZIELL.]

75

I.—2a.

Thursday, 26th September, 1929. Frederick George Dalziell further examined. (No. 10.) Witness : I would like, if I may, to make this appeal to Mr. Yaile. lam sure that he is quite as strongly desirous of settling this problem as I am. He has gifts which Ido not possess, gifts of eloquence and so on, and if we could get together on a definite proposition, with a view to finding out The Chairman : This is more in the nature of an appeal to Mr. Vaile, rather than evidence, Mr. Dalziell. Witness : It is an appeal to the Committee, not to Mr. Vaile alone. I want to point out that the real immediate need in that, district is help for the pioneer settlers on the pumice country. It is not the timber question that is the urgent need, it is the question of assisting the pioneer settlers by finance. They have gone in there and made an attempt to work this new country in which they had to meet new difficulties. The country has a bad name because financiers prefer something more secure. If the Committee could bring it about that we could get together and, with the member for the district, go before the Prime Minister, and endeavour to get his Departments to investigate the facts, you could help these settlers in a very short time. There is a good deal of talk just now about new settlement. I suggest to you as a business proposition that the proper thing is to help those settlers who are there now to make a success. That would be the very best advertisement the pumice country could have, and it is no more than just that they should have that help, because they are doing big pioneering work in a district which has enormous possibilities. Tt is on their behalf that I appeal to you. To some extent I represent the settlers in that district. Mr. Yaile says that I have not asked him before to do this. That is quite right; but Ido ask him now, and I ask the Committee, in fairness to those settlers —quite apart from our company and from any question of a railway —to ask the Government to have this question immediately gone into. The Chairman : You must understand, Mr. Dalziell, that if you are asking this question quite apart from any railway, it is not a matter affecting this petition. But the Committee, when deliberating, will take your suggestion into account. Witness : You see the purpose of the Rotorua-Taupo Railway is to develop the country, so that in that sense the Committee has the matter in hand. It is involved in the petition because the purpose of the railway is to develop the pumice country. The Committee could not determine it, but it could help greatly. 1. Mr. Vaile.] I want to find out, Mr. Chairman, in regard to the arrangement in regard to the carriage of manure by the company. You said, Mr. Dalziell, that your charge for this was 10s. 6d. for nineteen miles I—Yes. 2. And that that has been reduced, so that the company now charges ss. 3d. ? —No, we charge 6d. 3. Now, you receive ss. 6d. for carrying the manure ? —That is so. 4. Do you carry live-stock ?—No. 5. Now, in commenting upon Mr. Holmes's report you said that he thought that at some future date this railway should be made. Are you aware what his words were ? —His words are in the report, but he did not offer any opinion as to when the railway should be constructed. 6. Did you say that the Government had not fixed the location of the Rotorua-Taupo railwayline ? —-There was evidently some confusion in the minds of the reporters over that matter. 7. The location of the railway is fixed ? —I understand it is fixed. 8. About other bushes, you said that you were not aware of other bushes : do you know the Tumanui bush I—l1 —I have not heard of any timber bush there. 9. Do you know the Paeroa bush ? —Where is that ? 10. About twenty-two miles from Rotorua towards Taupo ?—ls that the bush you see on the left-hand side going into Rotorua, on the Mamaku side. 11. No, Mamaku is on the other side ? —No. What is the quantity of timber there ? 12. 110 million feet. 13. On the other side of the Rangitaiki—do you know of bushes there ? —No, I have been asked to go over there and look into them, but have not done so. 14. With regard to the amount suggested for the development of the area, do you not think that £15,000,000 is a very large sum ? —No, not for an area like that. You will find that, in addition to bringing in the land, you need all kinds of buildings and townships, etc. 15. Do you not think that the settlers would provide a good deal of that ? You do not suggest that each man should be given a completely developed farm ? —That is not the proposal. Ido not suggest it. I know nothing about settlement. 16. You suggested that £15,000,000 would be necessary ?—The stock and everything has to be found. 17. During the twenty years you and I have been there you have not asked me to join you in promoting railway construction in this district. I am at all times willing to co-operate with you, Mr. Dalziell? —You come with me and the member for the district to the Prime Minister: you will get what you need as well as what we need. 18. Mr. Kyle.] You admit that you know nothing about settlement ? —I have had to study the settlement of this country for twenty-eight years. 19. Mr. Massey.] I would like to follow up that statement, because under cross-examination, yesterday you stated you knew absolutely nothing about settlement, and so 1 did not go further on that question ? —You were asking in regard to some details. 20. It is a question as to whether you know anything about land-settlement ?—I have had to study the settlement of that district. I have told you in evidence that I have been all over that country studying how it should be settled, finding out from the engineers about transport, and finding out from