LAND PURCHASES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 246, 17 October 1928, Page 9

LAND PURCHASES.

GOVERNMENT'S RECORD.

TE WERA STILL VACANT.

CRITICISM BY MR. FORBES.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

CHRISTCHURCH, this day.

' Speaking at Cheviot, -Mr. George Forbes, M.P. for Hurunui, said the cure 'for unemployment lay in a very close land settlement policy, such as had been pursued at the end of last century by the Liberal Government.

Figures relating to land purchased for settlement were given by Mr. Forbes, who said that in 1923 00 acres were purchased at a cost of £1795;. in 1924, 126 acres, costing' £1107; in 1925, 1719 acres, costing £30,299; in 1926, 2695 acres, costing £33,401; and in 1927, 13.152 acres, costing £88,685. In 1927, one estate, Tc Wera, was responsible for £64,630. Since it had been opened for settlement there had not been one application for any - part of it, and it I was still on the "hands of- the Government. The last report of the Land Purchase Board had stated that there was a fair number of estates in the Dominion possessing attractive qualities from the cutting-up point of view, and the board was always willing to give them con-i sideration. The prices asked for pro- j perties offering during the year had been too high to allow the hoard to give them favourable consideration. The Government, despite the Prime Minister's statement, had never put the compulsory clauses into operation, said Mr. Forbes.