UNDEVELOPED LANDS

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 14 August 1929, Page 5

UNDEVELOPED LANDS

PROSPECTS OF SUCCESS. SETTLERS MUST EE FINANCED. WORK OF TIIK DEPARTMENT. (By Telegraph—Special to the Star.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 13. Detail's are given in till© 'annual report of Crown lauds settlement or the jjian.s adopted to deve.op areas hitherto untouched. Following a eonferen.ee> of . row a lands commissioners which icviewed the whore land settlement question, these officials were requested by the Minister of Lands to •select areas of undoivoloipr-'d' Crown lands suitable for sub-division in their districts, to carry out the necessary surveys so that settlement could l>e proceeded with if Parliament an nroved of the provision of the necessary finance. At the presen 1 time the department, has no express anthoritv to' expend funds in pre-p-aring Crown lands for occupation, or in makiiu! advances to sicttieins for improvements required in the initial stag's of breaking in their holdings, and it is desired to improve the position m that respect. It is considered,, adds the report. that there are in some districts large areas of unimproved land, mostly pumice and gum country, which could be profitably occupied now that the value of too-dressing for that class of 'land ri becoming more fully understood. Most of it is land .requiring fairly -close, settlement-, so as to allow of intensive fanning of every section, and it- is honed that as a .result of the special invcstlgaiiops. several blocks suitable for group settlement will be found.

A topographical .survey of a block in the Ta.npo-Rotomn district is being undertaken by the. department-. W lien the survey lias been completed, the alien will l>e developed for settlement to a- certain extent before being opened for selection, and it is hoped to proceed on similar lines with in other parts of the. Dominion. Th.ifJ will enable the incoming tenant to obtain some, return from bis land from! the beginning, and he will then be in a. better position to proceed with, the improvement of the remainder of his section. The land concerned is at present In fern and -scrub, and a good dlea.l isi plough aide country. The success of the incoming tenant w?.i also largely depend upon suitable finance being provided to assist- settlers in their fnrmfu.e operations. FARMING CAPITAL.

Another reference to the necessity for providing senile in flat capital for tiho'so taking up Crown lands appeaired fi-u the same report, which points out that in throwing open areas for .selection last year it lias again been found many 'persons djasarouis of |s<Aecifing Grown sections had little or no capita,l available, and' it is of course difficult for the department to place such applicants satisfactorily. Under the existing law, applicants must 'be in a position to deposit the first half-year’s rent, or an instalment, and they must also satisfy the department that they have a reasonable prospect of being in a position to improve and stock the land they wish to select. "‘Unless, therefore. an applicant possesses a small amount of capital, or is lin a position to raise the same, it is not at present possible for the department to 'assist him in his desire to settle on the land. There are doubtless many men of sound experience who are grievously handicapped by lack of even a small amount of capital, and it may yet be possible to devise some means of aisslilstmg these' to obtain farms of their own.” The answer to this official .suggestion rls found in the Budget proposal for setting aside £5,000,000 for financing settlement, apart from land acquisition .