DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL FARMS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23413, 21 August 1941, Page 4

DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL FARMS

GOVERNMENT POLICY

ATTACKED

« COSTS TRAGICALLY

HIGH ”

(P.R.) WELLINGTON,.. August 20.

“If ever a Royal Commission was required in this country, it is required to search into the facts and figures and results in connexion with this schema/* said Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition. Waitomo), t when criticising the cost of developing small farm blocks during the second reading debate on the National Development Loans Bill in the House to-night. “The costs disclose ineptitude, inefficiency in method, and total disregard of responsibility in spending public funds, he said, after tracing the expenditure on nine blocks. In these nine cases, a total of £284,902 had been spent in wage subsidies from the unemployment fund, equal to £32 for every acre developed, in addition to huge capital expenditure. These were official figures, placed on the table of the House by the Minister for Lands. Mr Broadfoot said that the Opposition’s main concern in connexion not only with public works but with other enterprises, was to see that the country received value for the money spent. The Acting-Prime Minister (the Hon. W. Nash), in introducing the bill, had spoken in glowing terms of national development, but the House should know now the Government had progressed with land development in the policy seems to be to hold bigger blocks as collective farms,” he cbntinued. National development this year would involve £20,615,000, comprising £12,950,000 raised by loan, and £7,665,000 from revenue, and land development and settlement would entail spending £2,140,000. It was absolutely impossible to ascertain from the reports of the Lands and Public Works Departments the actual costs of developing, say, a particular block. The lack of detail was reprehensible. A return tabled in July, 1940, however, made it possible roughly to ascertain the • cost of development of small farm blocks to December 31, 1939, Although early settlers of the nine blocks had been' promised a title, none had received them. The cost of development went as high as £159 an acre in one case, and costs generally were tragically high. Results obtained under native development, directed by Sir Apirana Ngata, had been infinitely better than those achieved by the present Government under the small farm blocks scheme, yet Sir Apirana had been subjected to a Royal Commission, and found guilty of incompetence for this work, which was so infinitely superior to what was now. being done. No figures were given in the latest, report of the Lands and Survey Department. showing that unemployment funds had been thrown away, and details of other expenditure quoted.disagreed with figures shown in the Minister’s return of expenditure up to December 31, 1939, he said. He asked why such extraordinary discrepancies should exist, and demanded to know whether the Government Auditor had ever checked the figures. Mr Broadfoot said there should be ’a most searching inquiry into the results the country was getting for very great expenditure op land settlement schemes. Referring to the rehabilitation of soldiers returning from this war, he said that a land settlement scheme should have been initiated by the Government immediately war broke out. The small farms development scheme was a farce and a scandal of the first order.

Minister’s Defence

A defence of the Government’s land settlement policy, with particular reference to the small farms scheme, was made by the Minister for Labour (the Hon. P. C. Webb). No Government had done more than the present Government to assist struggling small farmers in the improvement of their properties, he said. He criticised the administration of the last Government which, he said, had been responsible for employing thousands of young men on useless and unproductive jobs. i The Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland): This is the Government which is on trial.

Mr Webb; It is the Opposition which will face the jury, and I hope shortly. Referring to Mr Broadfoot’s criticism of wasteful expenditure on land development schemes in the Waitomo electorate, Mr Webb said that a great deal of the money the Government had spent In that electorate went into making a farming paradise out of scrub and blackberry. Mr W. J. Poison (Opposition, Stratford): At £l5O an acre.

Mr Webb: Mr Speaker, must the Opposition consistently and continually interject. I ask for your protection. Mr Webb asked if the member for Waitomo would rather see men working on land development than on the dole. Mr Broadfoot: There is no unemployment in the country to-day. The Minister: There are only 4500 men on Scheme 13 in the whole country, and most of them are over 50. He added that only 4000 men were engaged on Scheme 48, which had been a wonderful success, and a- boon to struggling farmers. More men were employed in helping farmers who needed assistance in improving their property than in making roads,