LAND DEVELOPMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 47, 25 February 1929, Page 11

LAND DEVELOPMENT.

GOVERNMENT'S PLANS. OPENING NEW COUNTRY. WORK FOR UNEMPL'.'YE''. ROTORI'A, S-:n.la;. ment's iand development policy -*ag:\ea by the Minister oi Public WorkHon. E. A. Ransom. la=t night, when speaking to a combined deputation, re presenting the Eotorua Borough Counc::. kotorua County Council. Rotorua Cham her of Commerce, and Rotorua-Taup-Progress League. Without wishing to trespass on inDepartment off the Minister of La no? Mr. Pansoic said he did not think r. would be a brea'.-h oi faith to tell cl ;• -cheme vvhich the Hon. G. W. Eorliehad in mind. Mr. Ransom explained ' ;.<> T about xl.'.'W.iX'i'i was available for laic" loir, ha-e. but there v\a; n'> fund to; ['•rovidir.g money for laud dev eiopn.ciit 'idle Minister of Lauds would a-k Par iiament to estabii-h a land developmen' fund, from which prospective farmerwould be assisted to break in th- 3 land until it vvas ready for selling. lhu* a certain amount of finance would be provided till such time as the men haa the farm paying its way. ■ The Minister thought that a ma:; wh,, had been four or rive year- break:::.. I in iand should have saved a few hundreoi 1 pounds by the time he was ready t. i cultivate his land. Assistance on th j homestead system would be : rovuVt--.. when a man had settled and made ce. I tain improvements. Men who weir oi

long-cultivated area, would, oi course. I not require as-ista:icc to the -a.:, | extent. Mr. Ransom said the land dc i velopment »> iieme would be removec from the control of the ordinary land j boards. A special board for the whole ! Dominion would have the oversight oi | the scheme. It was giatif.'. in_- to the Minister to 1 iearn that laud c.-uld be bought nea, I Kotorua for x.6 an a> re. f-xciu-:ve o" ,\ fencing and buildinu.. T:ii- loulii | be broken in. including a capilai cost 'i of £2 or £:3 au acre, and still U- a ■"<.' pe ! cent better propjsition than land in i other parts. The Government was prepared to buy land-, reasonably priced. L ' for purposes of closer cultivation and -! more intensive farming, in blocks of

from 50 to 70 acres. Crown lands would be opened in the les- developed ■■ountie? and subdivided into l-"" or -0" acre lots. There had been a lot or talk about bursting up big e-tates by a graduated land tay. but that had neve, appealed to Mr. Ran-om. In ma.n> cases it had been found that fho-.-estates could not profitably be farmed in less than 200-aore block-. In -oiurases w-here it had been tried it hid cost the Government ilg. 1 "" 1 " t,. -ettla man. Mr. Ransom, said that couhi cobe regarded as a practical scheme .'-hen. in districts such a- the Rotorua-Taui"' cor.ntrty. the work could be done for £120'.i. or even £1000. a man. The Minister said he hoped to e-tablir-h a settlement principle in this and other districts whereby the unemployed would break in certain blocks of land prior to settlement. To do something on those lines had long been his pet scheme. The Ministe" agreed with a suggestion that a soil analysis and topographical survey should be made in the di-trict. -rating that he would lav the proposals before the Minister of Agriculture 'Mr Forbes i.