State Purchase Of Kopara Farm Policy Attacked

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 June 1948, Page 6

State Purchase Of Kopara Farm Policy Attacked

[SPECIAL REPORTER] WESTPORT, This Day. The first effort of the Government to acquire a large farm holding on the West Coast for sub-division for the settlement of returned servicemen, will do nothing to add to the province’s dairy production figures—an achievement that would be possible—according to remarks made by Mr C. Jamieson, of Koiterangi, at the annual conference of’ the West Coast Federated Farmers at Westport yesterday. He expressed _ his disappointment at what he described as the unenterprising action of the Government. “This property is first-class land,” said Mr Jamieson, referring to the purchase of the 2600-acre block held by Mr G. Drayton, at Kopara, for £22,000 by the Government recently, “but we find that it is being divided into three or four units only. As far as development—and progress—on the West Coast is concerned, it leaves it just about where it was before. “No Possible Progress” “No possible progress can. be made if this area is to remain as it is—just a grazing area.- Here on. the West Coast is a first-class property that can be brought into the dairy industry, but it is being subdivided into grazing areas.

“It was only last year that this organisation d’rew the Government’s attention to the large tracts of unproductive land on the West Coast and suggested that they be investigated with a view to acquisition for soldier settlement and development,” said Mr Jamieson. “What has taken place in the purchase of this 2600acre block is not in line with what we had in mind at that conference. Closer settlement that is so desirable has been retarded there for a '■'few decades. The land has been divided for grazing and will remain that way for a generation or longer. Dairying Units Suggested “If that land is to be improved only dairying can sustain the charges,” he continued, “and I am perturbed if

this is the Government’s approach to the development and expanding of land in Westland; it hardly measures up to our earlier impressions. .“If this land was broken up into dairying units, Kopara could be made into a productive and profitable district, comparable with' Koiterangi ahd Kokatahi,” he concluded.