LAND SETTLEMENT SCHEME

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 130, 26 February 1929, Page 12

LAND SETTLEMENT SCHEME

GOVERNMENT’S LINE OF ACTION

DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS

STATEMENT BY MINISTER

It is the intention of the Government to ask Parliament to provide a land development fund, from which prospective farmers may be assisted to break in land until it is ready' for selling, and for providing a certain amount of finance until a farm is paying its way, according to a statement made by the Minister of Public Works, Hon. A. E. Ransom. It was pointed out by the Minister that about £1,000,000 was available for land purchase, but there was no fund for providing money for land development.

Dominion Special Service.

Auckland, February 25. Further light on the Government’s land settlement and development proposals was thrown by the Hon. E. A. Punsom, Minister of Public Works, in answering a combine: deputation representing the Rotorua Borough Council, Rotorua County Council, Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, and RotoruaTaupo Progress. League. “Land settlement has always been a question of paramount importance to New Zealand,” said the Minister, “and without reflecting on the previous administration I say that sufficient prominence has not been given to the question in the last few years. Some will point to increased production and say that last year was a record, but it has to be remembered that more scientific methods have improved production in some instances 100 per cent., while the general improvement of herds has also had a similar effect. Because production has increased it does not necessarily mean that more land has been settled.” The Government was open to buy reasonably priced lands suited for closer cultivation and more intensive farming in blocks of from 50 to 75 acres, continued Mr. Ransom. It also proposed to open Crown lands in less developed counties, and subdivide them into 150 or 200 acre lots. There had been a lot of talk about bursting up big estates by the graduated land tax, but that had never appealed to him, as in many cases it had been found those estates could hot profitably be farmed in less than 2000 acre lots.

Not a Practical Scheme. In some cases where it had been tried it had cost the Government £12,000 to settle a man. That was not a practical scheme, especially when in districts like the Rotorua-Taupo country he could see the work being done at £l2OO or even £lOOO a man. Such land as the latter should be developed prior to settlement, continued the Minister. That had long been his pet scheme. Unemployed had been placed on road construction work, and while that was useful it did not materially help to improve production, unless it was in reading of new districts. Mr. Ransom said he hoped to establish a settlement principle in this and other districts whereby unemployed would be engaged in breaking in certain blocks of land. The Public Works Department would select good men either from the permanent staff or from relief workers. After a few thousand acres had been brought to a state for production a survey would be made, and the men who had assisted in the survey would be given first chance to have the land. While breaking in such areas the men would be housed in movable huts, which would later be sold to them, say, for £5O, in order to get a start on the land. He hoped soon to have Cabinet’s authority to put that scheme into effect as far as his Department was concerned.

Special Board for Dominion. “I do not want to trespass on the Department of the Minister of Lands, but I do not think it would be a breach of privilege to tell you of the scheme he has in hand,” continued the Minister, in explaining that about £1,000,000 was available for land purchase, but that there was no fund for providing money for land development. Mr. Forbes intended to ask Parliament for a land development fund from which prospective farmers would be assisted to break in the land until it was ready for selling, and for providing a certain amount of finance until men had the farm paying its way. “A man who had been four or five years on the work of breaking in should have saved a few hundred pounds by the time he was ready to cultivate the land. When he had settled and made certain improvements he would be assisted on the homestead system. Those going on to cultivated land in districts long settled would naturally not need so much financial assistance. The land development scheme would be removed from the control of the ordinary land boards, and a special board for the whole Dominion would have i the oversight of that particular work.” Mr. Ransom said he did not think any material change would be made by the Government to the land laws and the system of tenure.