LAND AGGREGATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24632, 13 June 1941, Page 7

LAND AGGREGATION

TO THE EDITOR Sir,—ln a recent Issue of the Dally Times I see advertised as under mortgagee sale two farms in the Tarras district. Both these farms are of considerable area, and under intelligent management are very capable of returning high profits. They are situated- In a fertile district noted for great grain production as well as good grazing and fattening. One of these farms has returned under normal conditions as high as 2000 bags of grain in a single year, and at one time the annual returns' were never lower than 1000 bags, as well as a quantity of wool and lamb. Both properties have a certain area under irrigation, and show marked response-td'water. My purpose in writing this letter is to draw the attention of the Otago Land Board and the public to the danger, in sales of this kind, of adjoining farmers buying un such farms. There was an instance of this some few years back, but the Otago Land Board rightly refused to sanction the transfer, and consequently the sale was abandoned. I trust that in the . interests of the district and the country the Otago, Land Board will now follow the same principle. If a man has for years successfully farmed one property and then an adjoining one comes on the market it should be the work of the land boards to see that such a property Is nOt bought In by the adjoining farmer, and tills’applies also to the wife and family, in the case of a member of the family who is prepared to live on the property acquired. It is not in the interest of the country generally that a man should be permitted to use his wife to aggregate land, and If a wife wishes to purchase a separate property it should be the duty of the land boards to make it a condition of any transfer that such property, be worked separately from that of the husband and that if the wife does not live on the farm herself she should employ a married man to look after It and do the necessary work. I .trust that the above letter will bring to the notice of all who have the welfare of the district at heart the ever-present danger o? aggregation and that steps will be taken to prevent it in this case.—l am, etc.. Land for Soldiers. Cromwell. June 10. ■ V’;.;