PROVISION OF NEW FARMS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27148, 18 September 1953, Page 8

PROVISION OF NEW FARMS

MR CORBETT OUTLINES POLICY SCOPE OF GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL. September 17. When there was little or no Crown land left anywhere in New Zealand it would be time to consider whether the Government should go on the market and endeavour to persuade private owners who were doing little or nothing with their land to sell it to the Government for development, said the Minister of Lands f Mr E. B. Corbett) in a letter received at a meeting of the Wallace Countv Council today.

The council had made representations to the Minister for further land development in western Southland. In the meantime, the Marginal Lands Act and other avenues of finance could be used by those who had the land, the ability, and the experience, but not the necessary capital for development. Mr Corbett said. In the comparatively short time it had been in operation the Marginal Lands Board had approved advances totalling more than £428000-

Unalienated Crown land in the South Island was strictly limited, said the Minister. The claim was sometimes made that land development was being confined to the North Island. This could be explained because in that part of New Zealand there were large areas of unalienated Crown land, which allowed the Lands Department to undertake wide-scale development plans without being hindered by title problems. •

Mr Corbett said the Mayor of Invercargill (Mr B. W. Hewat) had been reported as saying that he refused to accept that the present ownership of land was an obstacle to development, and he presumed Mr Hewat meant that the Crown should acquire unimproved or deteriorated land for development. “Big Questions Raised” “That raises some big questions,” Mr Corbett said. “Should the Government buy land for development when it has Crown land in other parts of New Zealand awaiting development and capable of. producing quick returns? Should not the present owners of unimproved land be encouraged to undertake their own development schemes, making use if necessary of Marginal Lands Board Finance?” When the Land Settlement Promotion Act had been under discussion, Federated Farmers and other organisations had advocated strongly that private ownership of land should not be disturbed while there was still Crown land for development, said the Minister. In general, he was inclined to agree.

The Lands Department’s development organisation and the finance for it were fully committed, and would be so for some time, largely on the development of Crown land, Mr Corbett said. This should be the firsf priority, particularly when much of the land offered considerable scope for easy and economic development and quick returns.