SMALL FARMS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 70, 20 September 1939, Page 15

SMALL FARMS

SUCCESS CLAIMED

AMENDING BILL

TENURE QUESTION

Remarking that the administration of the small-farms scheme had been a great success, the Minister of Lands (the Hon. F. Langstone), during the second reading of the Small Farms Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives yesterday, expressed the hope that the farms would become the show farms of New Zealand. In moving the second reading of the Bill, Mr. Langstone said the need for the small-farm scheme arose out of the economic depression through which New Zealand passed a few L years ago. Hundreds of people were at that time out of work, and in an effort to relieve unemployment the Government of the day devised a scheme for settling people on small farms of from five to ten acres. These farms were taken up on a ten years' lease in which there was a compulsory purchasing clause, the holders being required to possess themselves of the freehold at the expiry of the lease. CHANGE OF CONTROL. Originally, the scheme was administered by the Department of Agriculture, but it had since been transferred to the, control of the Lands Department. Proper treatment of pastures and modern methods of stocking had been responsible for the increased productivity of the land. The scheme comprised 128,076 acres which today were carrying 81,848 sheep, as compared with 5557 before the present plans were put into operation. In addition, the land was carrying 7227 dairy cows, as compared with 1585 formerly, 10,142 run cattle, as against 1 1289, while pig stocks today were 2408, as compared with 520. ! The Minister added that he was hoping that the farms would become the show farms of New Zealand. The administration had proved a great success and even better results were anticipated in the years to come. The original purchase clause was being removed, and in place of the ten-year lease there would be a thirty-three years lease in which the holder would have the perpetual right of renewal. Freehold provisions would disappear from new leases, and it was possible that the Opposition Would have some criticism to offer on that score. However, the Government felt it had good reasons for eliminating the right to the freehold. RETENTION OF CONTROL. "The reason for not extending the freehold is because once that step is taken the Lands Department has no further control," continued the Minister. He did not want to see a repetition of what had happened previously in New Zealand. The Government had a sacreti trust in respect to the small-farm settlement policy. Men who had been unemployed and had worked on the land under the Government's scheme had received a benefit, but they would not be permitted to capitalise that benefit and get away with the plunder. Those who took up the land subsequently would find that there was no more plunder to get. The settlers were not. being treated unjustly. The foundations of successful farms had been well and truly laid. The Government had to be just to the taxpayer who had contributed the money to carry on the scheme as well as to the man on the land. Success | had come because all the powers of the State had been co-ordinated to bring about this end. The Minister quoted from the returns of many of the individual holdings to show that the settlers on many of the blocks that had been developed were making good livings, over £600 having been obtained for butterfat last year iby individual farmers. [ Various aspects of the Bill, and particularly the respective merits of free- ! hold and leasehold tenure, were discussed in the debate that followed. Amongst the Opposition speakers was the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (National, Kaipara), who urged the Government to carry out the promise given by the previous Administration that the settlers on the small farms should have an optional tenure. He said that he had a distinct recollection of Mr. Langstone saying that that undertaking would be kept. The second reading had not been completed when, shortly before the rising of the House at 10.25 p.m., other Bills were introduced and the debate was adjourned.