POVERTY JAY PLATS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXX, Issue 11121, 3 February 1930, Page 5

POVERTY JAY PLATS

WdIAT AREA PROVIDES LIVING. HOW THE LAND IS HELD. Mil. BLOORE’S ILJLU MLNATING FIGURES. CLOSER SETTLEMENT QUESTION.

Closer settlement arid, the exact area of the Poverty Bay flats necessary to support a settler .evoked, a brief discussion at the annual meettug of the Chamber of Commerce ■on Friday. At a provious ■ meeting of the Chamber ,it was decided to obtain particulars of the holdings of settlers on'the .Poverty Lav Hats;. This -was forwarded by tlie Government in the form of large scale maps of the area, which were handed to Mr. C. G. Bloore for a summary of the position to be prepared. On Friday Mr. Bloore stated that, Horn these maps, he had prepared a table showing how the land was held There/ were 773 holding/, on the flats altogether. I’hese were ii"kl as follows: —

Air. Bloore added that them was wne more holding of 2183 acres, those in the first, division, five »o i>i) acres, were probably worked in conjunction witn .-omo ntlmr emp.cy .i,.i at. Working iut tic position, he had ascertained mat the' nveiiago size of farms on iho Hats was 39 acres. The bulk of the people bad held them for from 20 to 40 'cart and were making their iivmg from them. Vet the Government had stated that it was impossible to make a living off 50 acres of 1 or. erty Bay flats, and, on that, account, would not take over areas there for closer settlement. The figures quoted, showing tlva't 39 acres would yield a living, provided a complete answer to that objection.

The speaker also pointed out the .-advantages gained when the Government. undertook the cutting up Ui areas for closer settlement. The settlers could be allowed to live rent free until established and all their capital oeivld be put into improvements. Whim private estates were cut. up, however, the settlers had to pav such amounts in purchasing that- thev were often practically crippled from the outset. 'There were large, numbers of young men waiting anxiously to get on the land l,ut they could not even think of it under the conditions stipulated by private |versons when cutting up es-

tates. , , Air. J. IT. Sunderland commented that it would bo an absolute miracle if a living could be obtained off 39 acres. Auv practical man would say that, oven with dairying, 50 or Of. 1 acres at least were required. 11l the cases mentioned by Air. Bloore, it -appeared to him some of the settlers must be holding more than one area. , , , , , Mr. Bloore replied that he lead taken this into consideration and when a- man held,more than one section all belonging to hnn were Jumped together. Mr. T. (>. Lawless strongly supported the suggestion that it was better for the Government to cut up tho large estates. They could auranee money against the improvements and thus materially aid the settlers to make good. The discussion then lapsed.

Acreage Holdings 5 — i20 288 20 — . 50 Old .30 — 75 71 -75 — 100 21 HJO — 150 20 150 — 200 11 Over 200 18