LAND AND SURVEY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 17 November 1937, Page 2

LAND AND SURVEY

IMPROVED AREAS QUESTION OF TITLES SETTLERS’ CLAIMS I From Our Own Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON. This Day. Improvement work carried out on Grown lands for the purpose of giving employment to unemployed men was discussed in the House of Representatives last evening, when the Estimates for the departments concerned with land were considered. Discussing the vole of £386.000 for 1 the Department of Lands and Survey, , the Minister of Lands (the Hon. F. | Lang.stone), in reply to the Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. Adam Hamilton ). said the vote had decreased bc!cause the discharged soldier settlers had been taken over by the State Advances : Corporation. 1 Mr Hamilton asked if the number of persons on the land had increased or , if there had been ail influx of rural i population to the towns. According to the report of the De- , nartment, vairl Mr Hamilton, there were ; about 1.250.000 acres suitable for settlement still unsettled. There did not seem to be much movement in the settlement of virgin land. In reply to Mr S. G. Smith (National, New Plymouth t. who asked if more money would be m- Ic available for the Kgmont National Park, the Minister said that tlv-re were so many parks and reserves to be provided for (hat. the Kgmont Park Boar I had done well to get £IOOO last year. Replying to the Lender of (he Opposition, the Minister said there was a slight increase in settlers, about 1300 going on to the land last year. Most j of the development was going on in dairying, he said, and with the guaran- I teed price nothing was left to chance, j Replying to a question by Mr W. J. j Broadfoot (National, Waitemn). the' Minister said that large sums had been ; expended on the development of areas ! for settlement and he did not feel dis- 1 posed to grant titles to the rnen work-I ing on those areas until the public had | received some return for the public money spent. The vote was passed. The vote of £25.000 for the Discharg- j erl Soldiers’ Settlement Account, and I the vote of £400.000 for the Land for j Settlement Account were passed after, a very brief discussion.