SMALL FARMS SCHEME

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 35, 4 November 1933, Page 9

SMALL FARMS SCHEME

Substantial Progress ACTIVITIES OF BOARD Closer Settlement Areas COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY Evidence that substantial progress has bern made in laying the foundation of what must prove to be an important phase of land settlement in the Dominion is contained in » statement issued last evening by the Minister of Lands, Hon. E. A. Ransom, who is responsible for the administration of the Small Farms (Belie! of Unemployment) Act passed last session. Details were given by Mr. Ransom of the acreage acquired for development and subsequent subdivision into small farms. For the most part these holdings will be dairy farms of a 25 to 35- . cow capacity. Since the Sinai Farms Board was constituted m April last the total authorisations actually approved for the and development of land and to buildings, stock, etc., amount to £lOO,OOO. In an interview with "The Dominion” Mr. Ransom said that his last public statement in regard to small farm settlement was made on September 16, when the progress made by the Small Farms Board was summarised, as follows Placed on individual holdings, 140 men; established as shnrejriilkers, 5° meh; employed on land development, 000 men. Since then considerable progress bad been made by the administration, and a report submitted to him by the chairman of the board, Mr. W. Robertson, showed; —Placed, on individual holdings, IB) men; established as sharemilkers, 50 men; employed on land development, 428 men; or a total of 657. unemployed men actually placed in reproductive work as a result of the present small farm plan. Under the previous small farm plan, which was administered by the Department of Agriculture. 753 men were placed on holdings, ranging from a feW acres to full-dime farms, so that it could be claimed that as a result of the scheme 1410 ‘unemployed uen have been placed in rural occupations. An Important Phase. "As I stated in my previous report," said Mr. Ransom, ‘‘the work of developing laud with a view to its subdivision later into small farms is the most important phase of the board’s activities, and it is anticipated that by the end of January the number of men go employed will have increased from 42 to 1100. Tills figure is conservative, being based on the blocks already acquired and set aside for the purposes of the scheme, but as in all probability several additional areas will be acquired in the meantime this figure is likely to be substantially exceeded. “In my previous statement I enumerated ten blocks, totalling 12,200 acres, which the board had in hand for development into small farms: but the position tQilay is that it 1$ developing or is about to commence improvement work on 38 blocks, comprising 30,424 acres, which it is estimated will provide 282 holdings. At the present time negotiations are in train for the acouisttion of an additional 14 blocks, comprising 13,211 acres, which, if aequlredj will provide approximately 200 holdings.” Recent Acquisitions. Mr. Ransom stated that some of the more recent acquisitions were as follow: Acres. Vaile’s Gift Block, near Rotorua 1000 Vaughan’s property, Hokianga .. 1107 Puriti, Ltd.’s. Long’s, Brown’s properties. Mangonui 2898 Wilson’s estate, “Ngatamahine," near Te Kuiti 2426 Nelson and MeNicol’s property, Motatau, Bay of Islands ... 1760 Suominen’s, Leach’s, Mackenzie’s properties, Te Karae, Hokianga 1513 Park’s property, near Cambridge 373 Karamu Settlement, Hastings .. 107 Gurr’s property, Takahue 808 Newman Brothers’, Runaruna, Hokianga 550 Ballard Estate, Takahue 334 Fraser's property, near Whangarei 271 Raikes's property, I’akaraka, Buy of Islands 194 Sirs. Lodge’s property, Awhitu .. 942 Cruickshank’s property, Otorohanga 471 Portions of several properties, Matron, near Te Kuiti ....... 1853 Portions of several properties, Tutamoe, North Atfekland 1607 Stevens’s and Pratt’s properties, Wharepapa, Te Awnmuhi .. 710 Bait's property, near Te Kuiti .. 1990 In addition, a number of smaller properties had been acquired, and several Crown areas, notably in the Upper Rangataikl district, Mangonui, Tuuranga, and Kaitieke counties, comprising over 8000 acres, had been set aside for the purposes of the scheme. Cost of Scheme. “It is difficult at this stage,” Mr. Ransom continued, "to supply figures which will give any indication of the cost of the scheme, but it can be stated that, the aim of the board is to keep the total charge per holding at a minimum. For the most part the holdings will be dairy farmsofa 25 to 35-cow capacity, and in very few cases will the total charge exceed £l2OO. “Since the Small Farms Board was constituted in April last, the total authorisations actually approved for the purchase and development of land and for buildings, stock, etc., amount to £160,000. This figure does not take into consideration the capital liability represented by options to purchase in cases tvhere land Ims been secured by way of lease, nor does it include more than the first year’s expenditure on imbuildings. etc. It has to be remembered that a large proportion of the areas being developed consist of what might be termed ‘marginal’ land, which under existing conditions could not be developed economically if it had to carry the whole of the improvement charges. Unemployment Board Help. "The fart that the Unemployment Board has agreed to meet the cost of labour, which cost will not be a charge on the land, has enabled the Small Farms Board to undertake tbc improvement of many areas which otherwise could not be included, in the scheme. As a clear indication of the board’s policy to carry out the plan at a minimum cost to the taxpayer, the following extract from one of its circulars addressed to district administrative officers will be of general Interest: ‘The quality of the land should fee such as to lend itself to subdivision into self-supporting holdings, and it must be amply demonstrated how each subdivision cun become a payable pro-

position without risk of loss of State capital.’ ” A good deal of confusion appeared to exist as to the procedure to be followed by applicants In obtaining a small farm, and it was desirable that the position be clarified. At the present time there were no sections available for general selection, and it was necessary for applicants to follow one of two courses:— (a) To obtain from an owner an option to purchase or to lease for a period of ten years with the right of purchase an area sufficient for the applicant’s requirements, and to forward such option, together with a formal application, to the Commissioner of Crown Lands for the district concerned; or (b) to secure employment on one of the department’s development areas with a view to his ultimate selection for one of the holdings. Procedure Outlined. "As regards securing employment on development areas, where a man is resident within a provincial district in which there are development camps, he simply notifies the officer-in-charge of the Labour Department for that district of his desire to go into one of the camps, at the same time forwarding his application to the Commissioner of Crown Lands for the district,” Mr, Ransom continued. “If a man is not resident within a district where camps are being established, he must first be approved by the Commissioner of Crown Lands for his district as being suitable for employment with the object of later obtaining a subdivision, and he should theu see his local certifying officer and advise him of his desire to be put into one of the camps in. a specified district. The local certifying officer will then make all inquiries necessary as to vacancies, and will notify the applicant when and where he is to proceed. “As a general rule men will not be transported at the Unemployment Board’s expense further than 150 miles, but in the case of transport within the North Island, the local certifying officer may arrange with the board to approve of expenses being paid beyond that distance. Applicants resident in the South Island may be placed in North Island camps if they can arrange for payment of their fares. It must oe remembered that the Small Farms Scheme is primarily intended to relieve the strain on the Unemployment funds, and for this reason the board refuses to incur any large expense in transport. Co-operation Versus Criticism. “I would like to take this opportunity of expressing the thanks of the Government to those gentlemen who as memibers of. the statutory local committees and as local advisers arc giving their time,and the value of their knowledge and experience gratuitously in the administration of the Small Farm Plan. These men appreciate the fact that the scheme is a national one, and that if it. is administered on sound lines it will not only assist in alleviating the unemployment .problem, but will also prove of permanent benefit to the Dominion. “'Phe amount of work being- carried out by these gentlemen, particularly those on the northern committees, is evidenced to some extent by the number of properties which have been acquired in the Auckland province. But what is not apparent is the number of inspections made by these committees of properties which are placed under offer add which are not acquired. It .is estimated by one district administrative officer that 80 per cent, of the properties inspected prove to be unsuitable, or are offered at prices.greatly in excess .of their value. . “In sharp contrast to the work of the department’s advisers is the critic of the. scheme who through the channel of newspapers deplores apologist statements by the Minister, denounces the delay, accuses the officers of deliberate Ineptitude or of incompetence, refers to the ‘disease of officialdom’ and generally sets himself out to kill public, confidence in the administration of the scheme. He takes no cognisance of the time required for inspections, protracted negotiations, clearance of titles, and other legal difficulties and formalities. He judges the whole scheme from the vantage point of his own armchair, and if properties are not being acquired in a wholesale manner in his own immediate district he avers that the scheme has been a deplorable failure. No Lack of Activity. “It Is somewhat ironical,” said Mr. Ransom, “that most of the crltcism has been in respect of the work of the Auckland lands officers, in whose district probably the greatest amount of small farm settlement work is being carried out. Since June last, when the local committees were finally appointed, 131 properties, comprising over 62,000 acres, have been inspected, and of these 110 proved to be unsuitable. Of this latter number 21 were considered to be partly suitable, and protracted negotiations have followed in regard to price and area. “At the moment negotiations are in train regarding the acquisition of 19 properties, totalling 15,000 acres, while 22 properties totalling 17,000 acres are awaiting inspection by the committees. 1 say definitely that these figures when taken in conjunction with the number of men employed on development areas In the Auckland district, disprove any suggestion of lack of activity or of loyalty to the scheme on the part of the officers charged with the administration of the scheme in that district. In fact, the whole of the officers of the department are imbued with a desire to make it a success, and it is only on account of peculiar difficulties that very little progress has been made in the southern districts.” Position in South Island. It was stated- by Mr. Ransom that apart from the settlement of a number of men on Individual holdings, it had not yet been found possible to prosecute small farm settlement to any extent in the .South Island. This was no doubt due to the following facts: — (1) There are practically no areas of suitable unoccupied Crown land available; (2) the better class lands suitable for small farm settlement are generally speaking comparatively closely occupied; (3) the agricultural and dairying land is for the most part highly improved and, therefore the establishment charges per settler for full-time farms would be very much easier than in the North Island; and (4) the prices at which properties have been offered have been so much in excess of valuation that it -has not been possible for the committees or the board to recommend their acquisition. However, it was recognised by the Small Farms Board that the scheme could not be confined to the North Island, and arrangements had been made for the chairman, Mr. W. Robertson. to proceed to the south to discuss the position with the chairmen of the several local committees,