GALATEA ESTATE

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 10 March 1934, Page 7

GALATEA ESTATE

GROUP SETTLEMENT SCHEMES

PROGRESS OF THE WORK.

MINISTER WELL SATISFIED.

Land development areas in the Rotorua district were recently inspected by the Minister for Lands', Hon. E. A. Ransom. These areas included the Galatea block, the Murupara block, which adjoins Galatea, and the Broadlands block, presented to' the Government by Mr E. Earle Vailc for settlement under the small' farms scheme.

Discussing Galatea, Mr Ransom said arrangements were well in hand for the opening of 23 sections, ranging in area from 100 to 150 acres. Some of the smaller sections' had been- wholly laid down in English grasses, while on other sections portions had been similarly treated. Nearly .all the sections to be opened had been ring-fenced, and some of them had sub-divisional fences. Contracts had beer let for the erection of 10 houses, these being of the fourroom typo He himself had . seen some of these homes in course of erection, and was well -satisfied with the work and the ultimate cost. SUPPLIES OF WATER.

The department had given serious - consideration to the question of ‘water supplies for that portion of the estate not supplied with water, and it had been decided to instal a gravity scheme from a branch of the Mangamate river. Provision was being made for the construction of troughs' on the farms within the- area -to be reticulated,, approximately 6000 acres. The supply would also be connected on to the farm houses as well as the milking sheds. Ini referring to- Murupara, Mr Ransom said the block comprised 2120 acres ,of which 1300 acres was capable of development. Since developmental activities were commenced at the. end of September last, 20 acres had been laid down- in grass, 10 acres of turnips had been grown, and 700 odd acres cleared of scrub, ploughed and culti-' vated. This ground would be sown in grass this autumn. In addition, two miles of standard road fences and 40 chains of internal fences had been erected. All the work of -clearing, splitting of posts, fencing, and erection of buildings had been carried out by the prospective small farm settlers. ALLOTMENT OF ’SECTIONS. It was proposed tt* give the men engaged on the work of development preference in allotment of these sections. It was anticipator! that the first allotment of sections w-ould be carried out within a few months. . The settlers would not, of course, be able to- milk until the 1935-36 season, but in the meantime the sections would be stocked with a good class of heifer. Satisfaction with the progress made with, the clearing of the Broadlands block in readiness- for settlement was expressed by Mr Ransom. He said that of the 100 acres 300 acres had already been cleared of scrub, 120 acres had been ploughed, 60 chains of standard boundary fencing had been erected, two miles of shelter belt planted, and two lcan-to cottages and the necessary sheds for stores erected. Considering that the work was commenced as recently as October last, the progress to date clearly indicated the keen desire of the men and the responsible officers to expedite operations. His observations during his inspection of the whole of the small farm development- work in the Rotorua district gave him every encouragement to believe that, apart from its effect in relieving unemployment, the scheme would ultimately prove a valuable asset from a land settlement point of view.