THE LEVIN STATE FARM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2239, 28 January 1897, Page 6

THE LEVIN STATE FARM.

The Levin State farm is alleged by the WeiJington correspondent of the Ljttelton Times to have been a success. Its area is comparatively small, 800 acres, and as fully 60 men have been employed continuously, the land has been to vastly improved that there now remains practically very little to keep employed so large a number of men, unless indeed the work of stumping the whole of the ground were undertaken, and as that would involve very great expense, it cannot be done. The workmen have felled nearly 700 acres of bush, graised the land, divided it into paddocks, and roaded it, so that the Survey department will have very little trouble now in cutting it up into sections. It is estimated that with the proceeds of the products of the farm and the incre»sad value of the land as put into the market, the farm will return not; only the whole of the money lr.id out upon it, bull a very considerable margin of profit. The Government have' resolved upon either cutting up the whole of the 800 acre* iota sections, or cutting up 400 acres and using the remaining 400 acres for the purposes ot a dairy school. It was the intention of the Government to establish suoh a school at Mom&haki, but as the principal buildings required are already at Levin, it is likely that the school will be opened there. The milk house, with louvred floor, beneath which is a conorete floor, the well-appointed cow shed and other buildings necessary for a dairy school, are in daily use at the Lovin State farm, and thia farm is neater to the railway than the Momahaka f arnv ,

It has been decided by the Government to take up another block of land of mnch larger are* — namely, 3000 acres, — and this laud, although not level like th»fc at Levin, will afford employment for a Urge number of men, should the condition of the labour market; require it. The Labour department does not regard this block in the light of a State farm proper It will b* used to relievo any sudden congestion in the labour market. It is intended to toll the bush, grass the laud, and road the block, which will be then ready for sale by the Lands department under the improved land settlement system. The block iv question in not far from the township of Taihape, and 18 miles from Maugaweka, and on the line of the North Islai.d Main Trunk railway. The land is of splendid quality, well wvfcared, and is tearing valuable timber — rimu, matai, totara, &c. Daring the time the Levin State fa'm has been under the control of the Labour department it has been so improved in value that whereas the original purchase money was £4 per acre, the land generally has b?en valued by outside experts as worbh from £13 to £14 per ace, and the o-chard as wortb trooi £35 to £40 per aero. In fact, it is understood that *n offer has been made to the Government for the orchard at the latter price. The farm having been so vastly improved, it cannot now afford profitable work for more than a dozen persons, and hence the reason lor the change.