SMALL FARMS SCHEME

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21257, 31 August 1934, Page 12

SMALL FARMS SCHEME

i Claim That Plan Has I ' Justified Itself | SURVEY BY MINISTER j j FOR LANDS 1 [From Oui Parliamentary Reporter.! i WELLINGTON, August 30. ' A claim that within limits controlled by the necessity lor purchasing land the small farms settlement scheme had fully justi-i fied itself was made by the Minister : for Lands (the lion. E. A. Ransom) in an interview to-day. The Minister briefly surveyed the progress of the scheme, which* he said, should be considered together with those of the depalament's land development operations on which unemployed men were engaged. The actual 'number of men at present working' I under the scheme was distributed! = follows: ! . i ' Employed on small Jarm blocks j94 | ' Employed on ordinary settle- { | merit block's . . . . 217 j I Established as share milkers .. 3*25 (Placed on individual holdings 811)1 | Total . . . . . 21521 ! Including 101)0 men employed m ; j forestry, which was seasonal land! ! work, the grand total was no \ than :iV2. Under the original sniali farm; scheme, Mi Ransom added, the operation.- wen" 1 in the main con-j ■lined to 10-acre holdings: but the ' advisability <>f establishing men on , i'uli-t ime farms soon became api parent. Kxcepl in favoured local.- 1 Hies, the occupier of a Jive-acre or< !a 10-acre holding was stili largely] 'dependent on the labour market.) : The Small Farms Board, established ■ in April of last year, had decided | i as a police measure on a scheme nf 1 I absorbing a maximum amount of! labour, and of keeping establish.-; | nieiit costs per settler at a minimum, i jTbeie the board had sot out to! 'develop marginal lands of a lighter! 'type, these lands readily responding! to topdressing. although the pnr-, J chase cost was low. Sections of; i Crown laud of the .-.aine type wcr" j j also being used. j Present Activities At present the Small Farms Board I ; was act'vely engaged in the dcve-| ; lopiiient of '2B blocks, comprising! 36,720 acres and 558 holdings. Apart! !lrom tins the Lands Development! 'Board was developing for ordinary 1 ; settlement II blocks comprising : , tiO.Diii) acres, and 2!)0 holdings. A!- \ li'vn;; for blocks under negot lat ion. | there was in prospect for selection j approximately 1000 entirely lie.-.': holding.;. (»> :e\c;al blocks houses : iiad already been built and ballot-j tr d for. and the prospective settlers: and tin/!! - Families were in occupa-' An an indieal son that man\ small I ibe Mniiste' - said that the number o; n, en receiving sustenance Jiad been reduced from 008 to ;;07. The; 'ot d ~i':'iiint authorised hu' small | farm set: lenient to date wa,-; i;5o8,0no. ' M" 1 liiusi 'in ga.-e detail:; of ihoj following blocks as examples i.f! typical small-farm development: - yieil Hold- civ Acre.-. ::i'j.s. ploved Nga: a a :a. 1 1 . i■ i • <Te Knit!' :.*KI» 23 :i.-, ' Pururu 'TeKuiiii 1 !<!>() 1 j 79 \\':ii;a::;;aru I Tc 1 Ka:! i i lay; ):■; ];; Mi'Kcn/.ie'.- 1 llol.i- ---• ana::> 1.1 ; ; Tin ana m ■ ■ ]); i r ■ ' caviile' lijcr 18 :i-t .M'.'tmangi Swamp 1 Kaiiaia' 141)0 1.", 3.3 , Kailaia Swamp 300 17 35 ! iWurupara iHi >to- ' nia i 1 :.*<( n; :j| , i : Settlement of Richmond Block 1 "Despite the nnfavourbale posii (ion of our primary industries." Mr! , Ransom continued. "1 believe tic scheme will prove a good invest-' : inent for the Dominion. It is n J valuable extension ol the: Govern-f ; ment's closer settlement police,*' ' ! The Minister concluded by "ivinuj .details of the settlement of the! •' Richmond block at, Napier—land j 'which had been secured on lease, on favourable terms from the bar- ( I hour board. The block had been; 1 i subdivided into 40 sections, avcr-i ; "Uine five acres. Thirtv-eight houses i ! I had been erected, and the men with! ! their families were in ■ occupation.' I Crops had been planted and the sal* 3 j !of produce had realised aboufj which was credited to the,! ; scheme. The net cost of the scheme! 1 ,to date was .H 15,500. The men hadij •been provided, with nice homes at j, I a small cost and half of lliem had j j 'secured outside employment. !i ' The Minister added that the Aliu- t i l'iri lagoon development, work -was! 1 | progressing satisfactorily, and that|} 'the area was being drained, roaded.< ; land treated in preparation for grass-' ; ing and settlement. It was esti-: i mated that fiOOO acres would be '! 'made availabte for settlement, and; ■ that, with an average of 20 acres a | • | block, would provide .''oo small ;! | holdings.