Request for $50,000 relocation grant

Press, 21 July 1986, Page 6

Request for $50,000 relocation grant

PA Timaru South Canterbury Federated Farmers wants the Government to provide a $50,000 relocation grant to producers forced off their land. An amended economics committee remit to that effect was adopted at a meeting of the executive.

Members considered the $lOOO offered -in the social welfare section of the rural policy package was an insult

The committee’s chairman, Mr A. J. Shewan, and Mr R. S. Slater both emphasised that when a farmer lost, his land he also lost his home.

Mr I. Maxwell sug-

gested that the $50,000 could go into the pockets of the farmer's creditors and negate its original purpose, but Mr Shewan said it was intended the grant would be clear to ! the farmer and not go to creditors. Mr R. W. Fletcher asked if other rural people, perhaps those in; the servicing industry, could also be considered for the grant

Mr Slater said that while he had sympathy for people in the servicing industry they had their own organisations and the remit was really on behalf of farmers.

The president, Mr W. A. Orbell, said welfare aspects of the rural policy

package looked good until subjected to scrutiny. “For example, the special needs grant has a qualification . that if a couple have assets outside the farm that exceeds $3OO they do not quality,” he said. Did farmers have to be penniless before they qualified? Mr Orbell asked. Did freezing workers going on the dole have that sort of scrutiny of their assets?

The meeting approved a resolution moved by Mr Maxwell that the.executive opposes the criteria necessary for farmers to quality for monetary support under the Government farm support package.