LAND FOR THE PEOPLE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10103, 22 March 1909, Page 4

LAND FOR THE PEOPLE.

CLOSER, SETTLEMENT 'AND THE RESULT. (Specially Written joe the O'AMAiur Mail.) From Crazing to Grain Grewing. It "was in' 1894 that closer settlement under the Government's land for settlements policy received its first impetus hi North Otago and South Canterbury. In January of-that year what are now. officially designated as Pareora No. 1-Settle-ment and-Studholme Junction Settlement, two small areas of 620 acres and 109 acres respectively, were submitted to the ordeal of competition.' In February of the same year followed the subdivision of Teaneraki, the well-known North Otago Settlement of 351 acres, and yet again in March of Kapua, in South Canterbury, comprising 574' acres. Since then land settlement has gone on unceasingly, and every year, with the exception of 1898 and a long break between 1902 and 1906, has witnessed the acquisition of estates hitherto maintained mainly ■ for pastoral purposes and their subdivision into agricultural farms that are j now dotted with prosperous homes and whereon the hills do not now so much- reverberate the bleating of the sheep as they do the glad voices of happy, smiling children. In all, 24 estates have been resumed, comprising' a total area of 183,136 acres. To this North Otago contributes by far the largest quota, the apportionment being 114,0(6 acres, forming 15 settlements, as against 69,060 acres in South Canterburv, forming nine settlements. The Waikakahi Estate; in South Canterbury, has the distinguishment or being the largest of the resumed estates, the area comprising 43,262 acres. It stands also in the unique position or' being one of the most prosperous, as is instanced by the ■growing importance of the township of Morven, which the settlement may be said to include. In point of size, Steward Settlement ranks next to Waikakahi, but its total acreage is less than half. The following tabulated figures are compiled from the latest available returns. They show the name of the settlement area and the year of establishment, and do not include estates that have been settled by private enterprise: — —North Otago.—

Ths Reward of industry. The aggregate acreage, as previously mentioned, now forms 24 settlements. These are subdivided into 840 farms or holdings, JTorth Otago's proportiomnent being 537 and South Canterbury's 006. Thus it will be seen thai land which for years contributed to the wealth of only 24 pastoralists, now supports and contributes to the happiness of over 800 agricultural farmers. .But it is the value of improvements effected that not only best proves the wisdom.of the closer settlement policy, but affords an indication at the same'time of the prosperity of the settlers. South Canterbury, notwithstanding that itis behind Xorth Ocago in almost every other respect, -claims the large share of the improved value, the total being £132,385 18s Bd, as against £105.834 16s Id lor the North Otago settlements. The difference is due, undoubtedly, largely to the prosperity of the Waikakahi Settlement. Ihe estates, with the number of holdings into which they have been subdivided and the value of improvements are set out- below. The figures showing the value -of improvements for Otekaike are not yet available, while lvauroo has barely yet commenced the process of improvements :—•

Livisig Ira Contentment, ,- "Back to the Land" is tho solatium ''economists hold out to counteract the evil effects which are continually cropping- up as the result of the overcrowding of the cities. Good "medicine" certainly, so long as there is land to be got within the means of those seeking it. In- North Otago and South Canterbury the resumed estates now support .a population of 2624 ■souls at least. And what- better asset is there to a community than an increasing population, and what can add better to the joy of seeing the cradle full than the contentment- that is begot of prosperous country life. To tho total population South Canterbury contributes 1356 settlers against 1268 in North Otago, with tho exception of Otekaike and. Kauroo. The former is now well settled, but no -figures' showing the population are yet available. To accommodate these people no less than 609 tenements have been ei-ected, 337 of them being in North Otago and 272 in South Canterbury. The population and number of houses in respect of each settlement are as. follows: —

The cry is, "Still they come!" Not a few considered that with the acquisition .'of Kauroo Hill the Government had "played its last card'' as. regards land settlement in North Otago and South Canterbury districts—that all the estates that were considered suitable had now been brought under the process of closer settlement. But more land must be got; there can be no halt until the great hunger has' been satisfied. For Kaiiroo Hill estate there were only a few less disappointed applicants than there have been successful., ones on : the' 24 estates ..which now. form .the Government settlements in the districts under review. liakataramea is considered by"many -to be■':. thoroughly adaptable to," closer; settlement, and ■•'pressure must be brought to bear to hring "about.-.its:.acquisition—-hot. that it might J prove the last, bHt the "trump card" of] closer settlement. -.'■.-' . . ■-, : : !

Settlement. Ar ea. JiStlJ. Teaneraki 351 6 0 1894 Jlaerewhenua .. 11,164 0 0 1895 Puketapu 509 0 0 1896 Ar-dgcman .. 4,268 0 0 1896 Tokarahi .. 11,260 0 0 1897 Elderslie ... . .. 11,619 0 0 1900 Windsor Park -So. 1 3,822 0 0 1902 Windsor Park Xo. 2 2,180 0 0 1902 Steward .. 21,936 0 0 1906 Plunket .. 6,136 0 0 1907 Totara .. 3,161 0 0 1907 lvurow 963 0 0 1907 Airedale .. 2,794 0 0 1907 Otekaike .. 17,495 0 0 1908 Kauroo .. 16,418 0 36 1909 —South I 1'aiitcrbury .— Settlement Ar a. ea. r. pEstb. Pareora 2S"o. 1 620 2 13 1894 Studliolmo Junutk in 109 0 7 1894 Ivapua 574 1 2 1894 Otaio 575 3 14 1895 Waikakahi ... .. 48,262 2 34 1899 Takitu .. 9,713 0 37 1900 Pareora Xo. 2 .. 8.132 0 31 1900 ilaytowu 391 3 32 1902 Mills 882 2 30 1906

— -Xortl Ot ngo. — Settlement. lio kliu = 's. Value oiiecied. Teaneraki 22 £ 2.166 0 '0 ilaercwhemia i?uketapu Ardgowan 74 11 66 21.948 12 3 1.585 8 6 14.079 0 0 JTokarahi Oldei'slie 79 34 20'. 864 6 10 15.833 0 0 Windsor Par ;"So. 1 37 5.660 0 0 Windsor Par c Xo. 2 10 2;672 6 5 Steward Plunket ■ Xotara 47 18 27 12.807 5 5 3.063 1 0 2,572 1 0 [vurow 13 1.202 5 0 Airedale Otekaik© 12 57 1,441 10 0 vauroo 30 — —S< juth C mte rbni V — Settlement. Ho din ji. Value effected. Pareora Xo. X 28 £ 2,958 0 6 it ud iio line Jii net ion 4 586 2 0 \apua 12 1,918 5 0 Otdio 9 2,359 5 6 Waikakahi 184 92.453 12 6 1'akitii 5 7,663 4 5 .'areoi'ii 2\o. 2 52 19,117 5 6 Maytown 11 1.905 5 11 Mills 21 3,427 19 6

Settlement. North Ota go.— Population. 74 Tenements 15 jHaerewhoiraa '. 242 58 Puketapu ... . 34 10 Avdgowan . 219 50 Tokarahi . 194 46 Eklerslio ... . 78 24 Windsolii Park No'.' 1 .' . 79 25 Windsor Park No. 2 . . 40 8 Steward . 149 •11 Plunket . 51 14 Totara 61 25 Ivurow 19 12 Airedale. . 28 11 Otekaike . Kauroo .y. . — — —South Canter iury.—> - TeneSettlement. lation. ments Pareora No. 1 . 110 .■ 24 Studholme Jun :tion . 10 2 Kapua . 43 12 Otaio . 40 8 Waikakahi 813 ■ 157 Takitu . . 20 5-. Pareora No. 2 201 '52 Maytown ... . 47 11 ■MiilB 72 21