Need For Land-Use Survey Seen In N.Z.

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29749, 16 February 1962, Page 15

Need For Land-Use Survey Seen In N.Z.

Because only 6 per cent, of New Zealand’s land was good agricultural country, it was very important to keep the terrible sprawl of towns and factories to the poorer country. Professor L. D. Stamp, director of the World LandUse Survey, said in Christchurch yesterday. Professor Stamp, who is emeritus professor of London University, is in Christchurch for a three-day visit to Mr L. S Suggate. with whom he collaborated in the text-books. “Geography for Today," a series in which several have run up to eight editions They plan to bring the series up to date In England and Wales, he said, about 40 per cent, of the land was classed as good agricultural land Planning authorities were doing their utmost to put new factories and town building on poorer land

He explained the importance of land use surveys by saying that tire greatest problem in the world today was the rapidly-increasing population while the area of land was fixed

“In some countries, such as Japan, the pressure is so great that the fundamental basis of all national policy is land planning.” Professor Stamp said In Britain there were 50 million persons living on 36 million acres. “That means that every single acre has got to be put to the best possible advantage,” he said

Land in Britain was allocated for industry, hpusing. recreation, which included national reserves, transport, including airfields, roads and defences, and for food production and forestry, he said “There is the same p-oblem in New Zealand, but at the moment you have a population of only 2.25 million. You are going to be up against this.” he said.

The fundamental principle of the Wor’d Land-Use Survey was that every country in the world should make maps of the present use or non-use of land. This would be a factual record.

The second stage, he said, would be analysis Attempts would be made to find out the reasons for the present use of land Factors of soil, geology, water supply, climate and history would be taken into account. On the basis of this survey, a government could look to the land potential. In New Zealand a survey of 2000 square miles in the North Island had been made by a lecturer in geography at the University of Auck-

land, Mr J. Fox “I think this will be a model, not only for New Zealand, but for the whole world,” Professor Stamp said. He has recently toured Russia, where he found 400 geographers trained to the level of a doctorate of philo-

sophy, studying land use He broadcast and gave lectures on the subject. Because Professor K. B Cumberland, professor of geography at the University of Auckland, was a senior vice-president of the International Geographical Union, New Zealand held the key position in geography in the English • speaking world, Professor Stamp said. He held the position before Professor Cumberland.