LAND SETTLEMENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10728, 27 October 1928, Page 4

LAND SETTLEMENT.

GOVERNMENT'S GOOD RECORD

FEWER FORFEITURES THAN DURING LIBERALS’ TIME

COAIPULSOR-Y PURCHASE WOULD PROVE FAILURE

(Press Association.). AIASTERTON, Oct, 26. Dealing with land settlement and its problems, the Hon. A. D. AlcLeod in an address to the electors at Carterton to-night, said that during the past three years 1529 settlers had been placed upon entirely new holdings by the Lands Department, covering an area of just on 200,000 acres. “As I have proved time and time again”, he said, “all the-talk of abandonments and forfeitures is largely political ‘guff’ not for the purpose of assisting the country, but to embarrass the Government. As a matter of fact, the surrenders and forfeitures of Crown holdings show a lower annual percentage during the last five years' than they did during the-five years immediately prior to the Eiberals going out of office in 1912. 1 freely 1 admit that it has been a hard fight to keep many settlers on their holdings, but tlie Government has done everything in reason to help, and official figures will show that in a large measure it has been successful-’ Tlie Minister said he was satisfied that as the result of the relief already granted by the Government, ' and of the generally improved - outlook, the bulk of thoso already on the land would he able to carry on successfully, and consequently more attention .could now ; be given to the .question of closer settlement. ' - Much was also • being - said respecting compulsory purchase, continued the Afimster, especially by those who little understood what it meant. Compulsory purchase meanttHe taking of land at a price fixed by dhe Compensation Court' which determined the value .of- improvements etc., After careful calculation of the cost of; road and other essentials to modern settlement! he knew of no; large "property which could bd compulsorily i purchased at compensation • value, plus the costs he had mentioned* which would permit settlers being ? placed thereon-.with prpgjp&ci success*