LAND SETTLEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 609, 11 September 1909, Page 12

LAND SETTLEMENT.

STATEMENT BY -MR.BTODO The Hon.' D.-s Buddo,; Acting-Minister for' Lands, said' to; a Dominion .reporter.yosterday'' - "flio Government has-been .repeatedly, charged, , during the. last three, months, with having land..,settlement to'go, ejsy ,', arid-; w.itl): omitting, to -instruct the Lands Department to push settlement ahead. .1 \ hesitation 1 > iii' giving lifiuimphatio dcrllal t<j ;,thbse I 'ltatßnfdht'J; i .Tifereiihas- probably .btiatbi tSinr-d I'dfehljilßoVtldltysHi UHne the • year ;19uW) '.Man-, iff'any: oijp previous year.'' .In; support'Vof, this .assertion,' Mr. Buddo gavo the reporter _ the following tabulat, statement, "showing'' the"settlement'/ (jffebted: OH Crown lands' during the last tHree years, l'astoral, leases; are excluded:— ' Year; No. of Settlors. 'Area. . .' 1906-7 ' ... 1777 463,000 .1907-8 im 610,000 1908-9 ... 2047 ; 495,000 r ; If settlement under Ujio Land -for Sottlement. Act were included, - numbers of settlers'placed on the land, each year would ! '°=: J 906-7, 2280 ;-1907-8,. 2225; 2003. "That should; be a complete aiiswer,''; continued,the Ministry'."to this' charge,'; that tho settling- of' people, on ' the land.nas not been ; pushed' on-: with vigour.' ," There .are more'surveyors at tho present timo ; getting land. ready,, forsettlement than ; there' over, ■were before: in; the,' history! of -tho Dominion. "Tho land in' thp North i Island ,: alone, whioh is about to bo : olwncd up, and is in tho liands, of thn> Land-Boards: for that purpose, to 62,336 acres 'the areas in the :€ifferont land • districts being. as follow. —-Auckland?36j262 acres, Hawkes ,Bay. 5446 acres,; Taranaki 18,436 aotes, Wellington 2222 acres. If wo add to this the' 442,000 acres already advertised.nlid open. I ,for selection, ;n's shown in. the Crown Lands Guide, we get a total' of- 504.366, acres , of . Crown ■ lands ready' to be taken.' up • byV settlers. A con-, sidorabla proportion of this will bo open for selection on the, optional, system." . Mr. Buddo. added that,the Government was negotiating 'the. purchase - of ' estates ' to bo cut up for closp settlement in 'differentpart's of the Dominion. On hie recent trip to the north, he inspected tho' improved fflriil. settlements,' which are shortly to 1)0 opened for Election on 'i Orown . lands near tho Main Trunk lino, in, tho Wellington", Taranaki, and Auckland districts. There are 400 sections in all, - and it is expected that ■ they-.will be opened fpr. .selection about October 1, Tho Minister satisfied, himsalf that tho - land in these settlements ; was as good aB any in tho district, and he thinks that, for tho average t settler, ,iio. bettor opportunity'could .be afforded.