LAND SETTLEMENT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 128, 12 March 1935, Page 6

LAND SETTLEMENT

BIG CARNEGIE GRANT. AGRICULTURE IN BRITAIN. GOVERNMENT TO ASSIST. (United Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, March 10. Grants totalling £405,000 for social and cultural purposes in the United Kingdom were announced at the 'annual' meeting of the Carnegie (United Kingdom) Trust. The new grants, which are for a period of five yeans from the beginning of 1936, include £150,000 for land settlement in distressed districts, which will be distributed in co-operation with the Land Settlement Association recently established on the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture. The Government has promised financial assistance and the Commissioner for special areas, lias undertaken the responsibility of developing the work. The remaining grants are for the extensions of public libraries, museums, village halls and other social and cub tural purposes. It was revealed that the trust has already distributed £2,528,000 in Great Britain.—British Official Wireless. PROVIDING BETTER DRAINAGE. DISTRESSED AREAS SCHEME. LONDON, March 10. The Commissioner lor special areas in the United Kingdom has begun a campaign to promote tho formation of “catchment” boards for the prevention of flooding. A circular has been sent to local authorities in South Wales, Durham and West Cumberland, drawing attention to the special 60 per cent, grant which the Government is prepared to give for such schemes in distressed areas with the dual object of promote ing employment and improving land drainage. . . . The work will include reconditioning waterways, the creation of channels for flood waters, and sea defence works where land is liable to inundation. Forty-eight catchment boards are already in operation in England, hut few of these are in the social areas, where flood damage is considerable.