LAND SETTLEMENT

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 218, 11 June 1930, Page 13

LAND SETTLEMENT

Sir, —Your correspondent* Mr. A. Ernest Mander, does nqt know very much about the progress of land settlement since the United Party came into office. Under the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1929, a good deal of progress has been effected by advisory committees created under that Act for the purpose of determining what lands are suitable for dose settlement. By this Act (passed by the United Party) advances' are being made to settlers up to ninety per cent, of their ... improvements, but no greater amount than £1250 is allotted to any one selector. Under this system development has begun at Te Kauwhata in the Waikato. In this district it, is known that as many as three crops of potatoes grow in a year, And fruit is excellent quality. The land being developed there is Crown land. It ought to be noted, too, that roading facilities in all the areas under development are as far as possible preceding settlement. Throughout the whole of the Dominion this system of ’ land settlement is being pushed forward, and its organisation so far has been s the work of the now Prime Minister., On inquiry, I find that 11,269 acres are to be offered in June and July, and these lands are situated in North Auckland, Gisborne, and Hawke's Bay. Many thousands of acres will be available under the development scheme of Crown lands,

and already there have been in seventeen months of the United Party's regime over half a million acres settled in 2549 subdivisions. The Hon. A. J. Stallworthy was but surely anticipating the future •when he said that thousands of people would be happily settled on the land as the result of the policy of land settlement inaugurated by the United Party, and that too after its predecessors had assured the country that there was no land for settlement, and if there were there were no intending settlers in view. Another fact ought •to be mentioned, and it is this: During seventeen months of the United Party’s rule over four hundred Crown tenants have been encouraged to convert their Crown leases into freeholds; and by this something like £200,000 may be made available to help finance the land settlement and land development policy of- the United Party. These are statements of fact. There is too much guesswork and denunciatory calculation in Mr. Mnnder’s letter for it to obtain credence. It is land settlement on easy lines that New Zealand wants. The Government must make the country in small holdings attractive and available to thousands, otherwise unemployment and a high standard of living will continue. I believe the Hon. Mr. Forbes as a farmer knows that as well as the most illustrious of his predecessors, and it seems to. me thjt he has determined to give vigorous expression to his convictions with respect to land settlement. —I am, etc., J. D. SIEVWR4GHT. ValliactoK J«ne X.