FARM LAND RATES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23047, 26 May 1938, Page 15

FARM LAND RATES

DERATING PROPOSAL POLICY OF GOVERNMENT PRIME MINISTER EXPLAINS "I am inclined to believe that Mr. C. H. Mellsop, of Clevedon, lias overlooked some vital factors in his letter to the New Zealand Herald about the derating of farm lands," said the Prime Minister, the lit. Hon. M. J. Savage, yesterday, when his attention was drawn to Mr. Mellsop's contribution of May 19. "It is fair to admit at once that Mr. Mellsop, from a restricted point of view, has stated his case well, but in concentrating on one feature he has not appreciated its weakness. "Before demonstrating that defect in Mr. Mellsop's letter, I think it is reasonable to mention that he has misquoted my reply to his letter on the subject of the derating of farm lands some months ago. He definitely states in your columns that I was evasive in stating, among other things, that seeing the amount of money the Public Works Department was spending on opening up new roads, etc., I thought the farmer had nothing to complain about. I said nothing of the kind. Not Splitting Straws

"What 1 did say was that it had not yet been practicable to give full effect to the policy I had. previously outlined in a letter to Mr. Mellsop on October 13, 1937, but that an examination pf the Estimates, past and present, wouid should that the Labour Government had already accepted additional liability for the construction and upkeep of national highways, and other public works which formerly were either a charge on local bodies or neglected altogether. This, in itself, is a step toward the derating of farm lands. "Let me say plainly that I have no desire to split straws. The Government stands for the welfare of the farmer and particularly for the struggling man in the backblocks. Improving Country Roads "The Labour Government, since it assumed office, has declared an additional 4000 miles of main highways. It was anticipated that the consequent saving to counties would be used to improve country roads. But here again the Government has rendered additional help. Some country districts cannot afford to pay the full cost of construction and maintenance of the necessary backblock roads, and last year the estimates contained votes for £1,588,360 for the improvement of settlement roading, this sum representing the first instalment of the Government's plan for improving 6100 miles of country roads at an estimated cost of approximately £5.000,000 in less than five years. "Summing up, I am entitled to say that the increasing measure of State responsibility for the cost of constructing and maintaining State highways has relieved the counties, and this contention cannot be disproved by the claim that increased demands are also being made on county finances. "The point I wish to stress is that already the Government has gone some distance toward derating."