LAND SETTLEMENT

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3449, 24 November 1932, Page 5

LAND SETTLEMENT

FARMS FOR UNEMPLOYED. LARGER SCALE PLAN. "The proposal for the settlement, of the unemployed on the land have now been reduced to two alternative schemes, which will be discussed at a further conference of departmental officers to-morrow," said the Minister of Public Works, Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, on Monday evening. "It is possible the plan adopted will be a compromise between the two schemes still under consideration," continued Mr. Coates. "One of the principal difficulties has been to devise a land settlement scheme without any money. However, the results under the ten-acre scheme have been encouraging, for we have placed nearly 600 unemployed on the land, and 50 per cent, of them are no longer a charge on us. "Once we have decided on a scheme for the absorption of unemployed on a larger scale, the details will be laid before Cabinet. It is too early to talk about legislation on the subject, and, in any case, I do not think that much will be required. "We are hopeful of doing more by private negotiation with owners having properties too large for them. The idea would be to give them some assistance with their rent or mortgage money in return for the use of the unfarmed portions of their property for settling unemployment. "It is possible we may find it advisable to secure legislation enabling us to acquire land compulsorily, but, if we did do so, the purpose would be to keep those powers latent and to use them only if the same objective could not be achieved by negotiation. "We have already received 8000 applications from unemployed desirous of participating in the land settlement scheme," said Mr. Coates. "Of course, I cannot guarantee that all of them are suitable for the farming life, but the great bulk of the applicants are men who have farmed on their own account at one time or who have been farm labourers." Mr. Coates added that it was possible he would be, ready to submit his scheme to Cabinet by the end of the week.