83,000 Acres Under Development

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31128, 3 August 1966, Page 7

83,000 Acres Under Development

The Lands and Survey Department had nearly 83,000 acres of land in Canterbury under development for farmin? purposes at the end of the last financial year. Of this nearly 59,000 acres was being farmed in five blocks, two of which showed substantial returns for the year’s activities. They are the Hackthorne block at Ashburton, which had a net profit of £6326, and the Valetta block, also at Ashburton, which returned £9734. The Hackthorne block of 312 acres was acquired in September, 1959 and by June 30, 1965. total capital costs had amounted to £14,272.

The Valetta block, purchased in separate lots in 1940 and 1964 totals 9689 acres. It has since been broken up into smaller units some of which have been sold. By June 30, 1965 the Department had spent £365,311 on acquisition and development. So far it has obtained £300,572 from disposals. Three other blocks under farm development are Hakataramea, Moorland and Ruataniwha. Hakataramea, of 30,977 acres, was purchased in October, 1965, but at the time of the report was not in production. Moorland, of 4557

acres, was acquired in 1964-65 and by June 30, 1965, the capital costs had amounted to £66,958, more than half of which went on acquisition. Ruataniwha, of 13,456 acres, was taken over in August, 1965, and is to be farmed on behalf of other Government organisations. The department also had 23,971 acres of nassella tussock country under development in five blocks, of which three had an aggregate net profit of £15,559 during the last financial year. Total capital costs for the blocks to the end of June 1, 1965 amounted to £614,892. Only limited areas had been disposed of.