LAND SETTLEMENT

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 28 February 1929, Page 5

LAND SETTLEMENT

GOVERNMENT POLICY. WORK FOR UNEMPLOYED. AIR! RANSOM’S SCHEME, Further light on the Government’s .land settlement and development proposals was thrown by the Hon. E. A. Ransom,'Minister of Public AVorks, in answering a combined deputation representing the Rotorua Borough Council, Rotorua County Council, Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, and RotoruaTaupo Progress League, states the AucKland representative of the AVellington “Evening Post.” “Land settlement has always been a question of paramount importance to New Zealand,” said the Minister, “and without reflecting on the previous Administration I say that sufficient prominence has not been given to tile question in the last few years. Some will point to increased production and say> that last year- was a record, but it has to be remembered that more scientific methods have improved production in some instances J.OO per cent, while the general improvement. of herds has also had . a similar effect. Becasne production has increased it does not necessarily mean that more land has been settled.” . The Government was open to buy reasonably priced lands suited for closer cultivation and more intensive farming in blocks of from 50 to 75 acres, continued. Air Ransom. It also proposed to open Crown lands in less developed counties, and subdivide them into 150 or 200-acre lots. BURSTING THE BIG ESTATES.

lucre naa Been, a lot oi tuiK auout bursting up big estates by tne graduated land tax, out tnat nad never appealed to hun, as in many cases it bad ueen, found tnose estates . could, not prontaoly be fanned ip. less than 2000acre lots, in some cases where it bad been tried it had cost the Government £12,000 to settle a man. That was not a practical scheme, especially when in districts like the Rotorua-Taupo country he could see the work being done at £I2OO or even £IOOO a man. Such lands a® the. latter should be developed prior to settlement, continued the Minister. That ha!d long been his pet scheme. Unemployed had" been placed on road construction work, and while that was useful it. did not materially help to improve 'production, unless it was in reading of new districts.

Air Ransom said he hoped' to Establish a settlement principle in .this and other district® whereby . unemployed would be engaged in breaking in certain blocks of land. The Public Works Department would select good men either from the permanent staff or from relief workers. After a few thousand acres had been brought to a state of production a survey would be made, and the men who had assisted in the survey would be given first chance to have the land. While breaking in such areas the men would be housed in movable huts, which would later be sold to them-, say, for £SO, in order to get a start bh the land. He hoped soon to have Cabinet’s authority to put that scheme into effect as far as hi® department was concerned. BREAKING-IN FUND. “I do nop want to trespass on the department of the Alinister of Lands; but I do not think it would be a breach of privilege*, to tell you of the' scheme he ha® in hand,” * continued the Minister, in explaining that about £1,000,000 was' available for laird purposes, but that there was no fund for providing’ money for land development. Mr Forbes intended to ask Parliament for a land development fund from which prospective farmers would be assisted to break in the land until it was ready for selling, and, for providing a certain amount of finance until men had the farm paying its way. A man who had been four or five years on the work of breaking in should have saved, a few hundred pounds by the time he was ready to cultivate the land. When he had settled and made . certain improvements he would be assisted on the homestead system. Those going on to cultivated land in districts long settled, would naturally not need so much financial assistance. The land development scheme would be removed from the control of the ordinary land boards, and a special board for the whole-Do-minion would have the oversight of that particular work. Mr Ransom said he did not think . any material change - would be made by the Government to the land laws and the system of tenure.