GROUP SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20822, 14 March 1931, Page 13

GROUP SETTLEMENT.

DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE AIMS.

APATHY OF THE GOVERNMENT. OFFICIALS UNSYMPATHETIC. < The attitude of the Government in failing to adopt'the proposals of the New Zealand Land Settlement and Development League was criticised by the secretary, Mr. N. G. Gribble, at a meeting of the executive of the league yesterday. An outline of some of the league's suggesgestions, which had been submitted to the Government without result, was given in a report. ,

With regard to the group settlement scheme, the report stated, there was no legitimate difficulty in giving effect to the proposal, but it did not seem acceptable to departmental officers that the direction and control should be largely in other hands. There were several suitable blocks in the North and the league had received about 200 applications for settlement under the scheme. Owing to the long delay the applicants were becoming disgusted and the opportunities of the proposal had been largely discounted. A commentary on the departmental attitudo and its reluctance to accept suggestions was provided in a recent newspaper advertisement calling for tenders for the de> velopment of Crown lands by contract. Nothing had apparently been done with respect to the suggestion that a portion of the great ironstone belt in the Bay of Islands shojild bo tried out under farming conditions. There was a small demonstration plot on the Kapiro block but, in the opinion of practical men, all steps in connection with that had been wrongly carried out by apparently unsympathetic departmental officers. The league had also proposed that local advisory committees of successful farmers ishould bo set up. The present committees meant nothing to real settlement and were used or disregarded by departmental officers at will.

The league further advocated a system of training boys to go on the land, and had recently urged Hopuhopu camp as a centre. Protests had been made at the unsatisfactory results obtained by inquirers at the Crown Lands offices, where it appeared there was a lack of definite and detailed information as to available blocks.

The report was adopted. It was decided to bring the matter of group settlement before the Minister of Lands and to ask for a -definite answer.

A committee was formed to report on the practicability of the league's landsettlement schemes being carried out by private enterprise.

AREA IN ROTOItUA COUNTY. PROPOSITION TO MINISTER. [from our own correspondent.] ROTORUA, Friday. A report in connection with certain lands which had been offered to the Government for group settlement was submitted by Mr. H. P. Ford, the chairman of the Rotorua County Council, today. The report will, be forwarded to the Minister of Lands. The original offer included 10,000 acres which would be available for settlement, but Mr. Ford, discovered that the greater part of this was on native lease, and he did not consider this to be a sound business proposition. He had examined the freehold properties in the area, about 4750 acres in all, moire than half being undulating and having a good frontage to roads. He did not recommend that the whole area be taken ever, but suggested it would be worth while for the Government to purchase the freehold lands and subdivide them into 150-acre farms.

So far, 1200 acres had been brought into pasture and it was possible that if the offer was not accepted a large portion would deteriorate If the freehold land were cut up and veil manured it would hold great possibilities under energetic settlement.