LAND SETTLEMENT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 89, 14 April 1908, Page 5

LAND SETTLEMENT.

FORWARD MOVExVIENT IN

MARLBOROUGH

DEMAND FOR MORE

SURVEYORS.

At the monthly meeting of the Marlborough Land Board to-day, all the members being present, Mr J. Duncan moved, " That it be a request to the Commissioner to have prepared by next meeting of the Board a statement showing (1) Area of unoccupied Crown land in Marlborough Land District; (2) approximate area of Crown land suitable for settlement, and where situated; (3) approximate area of Crown land open and available, for settlement; (4) approximate area of Crown land being prepared for selection, and probable date when ready; ,(5) approximate area of Crown land taken' up during preceding year, and also any further information that would assist the Board in recommending the acquisition of further estates for settlement^' .■

Mr Reader seconded the motion, which was carried.

Mr Duncan then moved: '•That, while within this land district there exists a keen demand for land, settlement is and has been for some time past practically, at a standstill, and, ?.r.i order to meet present and pressing requirements, this Board would strongly recommend to the favourable consideration of the Minister for Lands—(l) An increase of the field staff, so that the unoccupied Crown lan^s can be-opened for selection. at as early a date as possible: (2) the provision of further areas under the Lands for Settlement Act." He said there was as keen a demand for land for genuine farmers as ever, and there was no doubt Marlborough held a. much greater proportion of land suitable for cioser settlement than many other districts did in which so much was being done to use up every available acre. The fact that surveyors could not be found to do the work necessary to the opening up of lands was probably the root of the difficulty in Marlborough; but why could not other districts lend some of their officers, in order that mat- ; ters might be set to rights in Marlboiongh? There was ho getting up to the demand at all. Now, it was said that much 'of the Crown land m Marlboorugh that might be made availablel was unsuitable for settlement owing to its high altitude. He nad been perusing the Crown Lands Guide, and found that the class of land advertised as having been recently surveyed and now open for selection was in a great many instances of a kind and description that could not be found, for' poorness, anywhere in Marlborough, and besides, the altitude was very great' He quoted from the official descriptions of land on offer in Nelson, Hawke's Bay, King Country, and elsewhere. "Steep hilly land of a clayey nature, resting on a rock bot•tom ; what more inferior land could thoy find anywhere? That was an forage description; yet this class of land had recently been surveyed, arid was still busily occupying the Government surveyors. He did not tnmk anything they wished to have surveyed in Marlborough would come down to tne carrying capacity of two sheep to three acres, as the land he had referred to in other districts was statea to be capable of carrying. An increase in the field staff was the solution. All the areas acquired for closer settlement had been keenly competed for, and, with only one exception, most successfully setteld, and in the case of the exception the land was unsuitable, in his..opinion, for ■^division. He had^ noticed that the Minister for Lands Chad been reported m Canterbury to have said that he had been offered several estates in Marlborough, while in the V ear-Book it appeared that five estates, with an area of 131,000 acres, had been offered to the Government between April Ist, 1906, and March j-2 'so that there should be no difficulty at all in providing land for closer settlement. Personally, he thought there was no need to po for the estates that were being occupied and worked productively. Let the Government purchase such t)laces as were m the position of trust properties first. He thought the State had lost opportunities in not acquiring Weld's Hill, Hillersden, and such other places us were not occupied and worked m the usual way. .Mr Reader seconded the motion, and endorsed Mr Duncan's contenHoard it had been hampered for the want of an adequate survey staff. IS if* Wakamarina and Rai districts they had not been able to. get .surveyors for love or ?° nT *Je referred in this connec+r)^V r¥ th? termed the curse of the >xate forest reservations. In the Wakamarma young men were living on sixty acres, an 3, not being abli to get the adjoining land owing to' nothing but the senseless State forest restriction their holdings proved inadequate for their support, and they were compelled to go and work on the roads He did not refer to bush that was likely to be payable for millfhf* *Ut-i»° °Utt Ut Or li%ht tush that would never by any contingency have a mill amongst it. The Members of Parliament for Nelson and Wairau when approached in the ■■matter,- had always promised to do their best when the proper statutory forms had been complied with, and he would move at a later &tago fW plans of all lands that could legVlly be taken out of the State' forest reservations be prepared by the Commissioner., m order that they mio-ht be laid on the table of the House next session. ■ • '

The Commissioner of -Crown Lands (Mr F. S. Smith) said Sat Mr Duncan'3 statements were true to. a1 certain pxtenfc, but his fio-ures were not up-to-date. What land he had quoted as being unselected would probably remain unselected two lmn dred years hence. There were simply not enough surveyors in the country to cope with the work. In the wWe of the Australasian Colonies last ye*r 4r> candidates sat for the surveyors' examination, and 39 failed, only sis pttmg through. Not only had tho iands for settlement operations been responsible for a shortage of sur veyors, but the great amount of native land in the North Island that was being brought out had rendered matters^ very acute. Last year the local office asked for an additional surveyor, and could not get one Mr Reader: But you have surveyors on the . office staff. s What about Mr Greenfield ? % The Secretary: He is engaged in office work We can't spar! W other?? 0' But surely there are

The Commissioner: There are a good number of the old "brass mounted kind in.the offices but they will not go out. The salary doe? not on courage it. Jl lr Pnncsin: Can tW not do a* —c minors v..-:-d to do-sin!^ and

get better wages? In other districts they were, he said, advertising periodically the bringing out of areas us great as 50,000 acres. They must have surveyors to do that. He had met Cantei'bury farmers who turned up their noses at stump country, and yet MarJborough young men ,who had been used to such country:-"all their lives, and would ; Jb>e delighted to get it, were being driven to all parts of the North/lsland in quest of it. Ten years ago,it had been advertised that much stump land in Pelorus and Wakamarina districts was available i'or settlement. That same lanu wa? still available, nothing having been done—simply ior the want of surveys. He giive all credit to the local land officers and tho Board in the past. They had done iheir best, but it was time things were pushed ahead. The motion was carried unanimously. Mr "Reader then moved: ''-"That plans be prepared of all lands which can oe legally with drawnI "horn ~ the State forest, -7/hich are' suitable for settlement, and forwarded to the Governor to be placed before Parliament during th« coming session, in accordance with section 2 of the New Zoaland State Forest Act, 1888." . , ■•■''■. '

Mr Duncan seconded the1' motion, which was carried. . *'^ U- . ; It was decided that copies be' sent to the Minister foe Lands and the Members for Wairau, and Nelson for their information and hearty cooperation.