LAND CLEARING IN BULLER

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22769, 22 July 1939, Page 9

LAND CLEARING IN BULLER

CRITICISM OF COST BY FARMERS MORE INFORMATION WANTEET (From Our Own Reporter,) WESTPORT, July 21. After it hadT been announced that the Government had taken over a good part of the land clearing machinery which has been stationed at Westport since the demonstration in February, and that an extensive land clearing scheme would be started almost immediately, members of the Westport branch of the' New Zealand Farmers’ Union complained at the annual meeting this evening of the lack of information about this scheme. Some members also complained of the cost which the local Public Works Department engineer had submitted for clearing parts of their properties. The chairman (Mr W. H. Hateley) read a telegram from the Hon. P. C. Webb that the Government had taken over a portion of the plant at Westport and was considering the best way of using it, allowing for the weather, in the district. Mr Hateley said that it was intended to start the clearing scheme at Nine Mile, and to work north. The scheme was intended to incorporate Crown lands, but he had .an assurance that private land holders in the area to be worked, and situated between blocks of Crown lands, would have their seer tions, included. in the scheme at the price fixed by the Government, but at a cash “on the nail’’ principle. Mr M. Durkin complained of the lack of co-operation with the branch by the Government in sending the engineer round to individual farmers instead of dealing with their organisation. This, he claimed, was a contradiction of its policy of dealing with the organisation, not with the man. Mr R. Stevens said that the cost of stumping his property was £8 an acre. This he considered ridiculously high, as it was not stipulated that any hard stumps should be cleared. He claimed that farmers should take a | firm stand on the matter of costs.

Mr E. McPadden said that a man could do that work himself for £8 an acre. Mr Stevens: It will cost me £2O by the time I am finished. Another member said that his price for clearing had been fixed at £6 an acre; Mr Durkin said it was possible that the engineer was only coming to his own conclusions in the cost, and he

advised getting more details of the ] plan direct from the Minister for Pub- j lie Works Other members deplored the “hushhush” policy in connexion with the whole matter, but showed an. Inclination -to co-operate as much as possible with the Hon. P. C. Webb in his efforts * on their behalf. J 1 The branch received a batch of ap- 1 plications from members all over the l

Buller * district for inciusMHi fit's tii* land clearing scheme.