PUMICE LANDS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 16 June 1930, Page 8

PUMICE LANDS

LARGE AREA UNTOUCHED POSSIBILITY OF SETTLEMENT "Tho New Zealand Land Settlement Development League urges that tho Government should give attention to tho thousands of acres of cheap land lying idle rather than purchase improved estates of limited area at a fairly high cost," tho chairman of the executive of tho Loaguo (Mr W. .7. Holclsworth) told a reporter of tho "Press." The League has boen conducting a locturo tour thrpughout tho North Island, urging particularly tho development of tho thousands of acres of pumice land about Rotorua. Tho League was started three years t ago by Sir Andrew Russell and is composed of farmers and business a.nd professional men. What caused a renewal of its activities, explained Mr Holdsworth, was the fact that the Government was spending a vast amount of money on more or ess unproductive unemployment, works. This money should lie diverted to the land.

VALUABLE PUMICE LAND "I suppose there are about 1,000,000 acres of pumice land between Rotorua and Taupo, of which the Government owns about 500,000," he continued. Practical farmers state that this land could 1)0 broken in at about £5 an acre. Though three years ago it was all pumice, I have photographs showing now a growth of clover up to a man's kneesi The soil is very light, requiring no pk>ughing,_ but merely discing before the seed is put in. It will become more and more arable, and is already carrying cattle." The hind could be broken in at £5 ail acre, emphasised Mr Holclsworth, providing work, for both skilled and unskilled labourers. An expert had told him that the returns from it would be better than those from land costing between £3O and £4O an acre to break in. In the North of Auckland, too, there w-ere remarkable possibilities for development and an enormous acreage waiting.