DESERTION OF FARMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3869, 8 May 1928, Page 20

DESERTION OF FARMS.

POSITION GREATLY EXAGGERATED. A MINISTERIAL SURVEY. ~ , , LEVIN, May 4. Mr A. D. M'Leod (Minister of Lands) addressed a meeting of nearly 300 persons on political matters to-night. The Minister said that for political purposes the grossly untrue statement that thousands of settlers were walking off their farms was being reiterated by a certain section of the press and individuals, the latest being a reported statement by a councillor at the meeting of the Waikato County Council that 13,000 settlers had left the lands of the Dominion during the past two years. Knowing the source whence such exaggerated statements arose, it might be thought foolish to take the slightest notice of them, but when one read in overseas papers the reports of such ridiculous statements, published no doubt in good faith it was high time that the public should be informed of the true facts Such statements were libellous from a national point of view, and could easily be disproved from the New Zealand Year Book. Thefie was set out the number of workers, including working owners and managers, employed in farm work throughout the Dominion. Taking the last tw’o available years the total number in 1925 was set down at 105,301 males and 37,441 females, a total of 142,742. For the year 1927 ti e number of males was set down" as 102,325 and the number of females as 30,424, a total of 132,749 —showing a decrease over al) of approximately 10,000. A closer scrutiny of the figures, however, disclosed the fact that the decrease was composed of fewer than 3000 males and over 7000 females.

“ y> T e know that in the war years and in difficult years following the war, women did valiant service keeping the actual farm work going,” proceeded Mr M'Leod. But if as a result of the improved machinery and methods adopted in recent years, women have been relieved of the more arduous farm work the country should be congratulated rather than criticised. It is upon figures such as these that reckless statements are made as for instance, that 13,000 settlers have left the land in two years. There are no statistics available from any source showing the movement of those occupying the 85,000 rural holdings in the Dominion. I am well aware that during recent years a number of settlers have, from various circumstances, unfortunately been forced to walk off their farms, leaving hundreds of pounds and sometimes thousands behind them; but a gross exaggeration of the true position does not help in the least and only increases the difficulty of ob-

taining finance for those whose position farmers appears to be sound. Inc holders of land from the Crown numbered at Murch 31 last, no fewer than 300,783 established under permanent tenures of various kinds. Notwithstanding the fact that large numbers have completely acquired the freehold since 1912, and have thus automatically removed their holdings from the department s schedules, the total has grown from 20,1(59 in 1908 to 30,783 in 1928. The average number of surrenders, forfeitures, and abandonments over the preriod of 20 years to March 31, 1927, works out at almost exactly 1 per cent., the highest percentage for the whole period being 1.55 per cent, in 1910, and the lowest .50 per cent, in 1920. For the year 1927 the percentage was 1.40, and for the present year, for which the figures are not yet complete, it is anticipated that the percentage will be little higher. ■' So that the position of Crown holdings actually unoccupied may be closely watched, I, as Minister of Lands, have placed before me a quarterly return giving particulars of the unoccupied holdings in each of the 12 land districts in the Dominion. Many holdings by reason of inaccessibility, poor quality, inclination towards reversion, and other causes, have remained unoccupied for several years and no attempt is being made at present to have them reoccupied. Still, the number of unoccupied holdings is relatively small, and at March 31 last the total was 749, or less than 1 per cent, of the occupied rural holdings of the Dominion.

“ Local rating is a much discussed matter at the moment,” continued the Minister, “ and Mr Coates recognised early in his career the dangerous drift that matters were taking in this respect, more particularly in so far as they affected the primary industries. The Prime Minister’s early anxieties in regard to this problem have since proved to be well-founded, 4s is shown by the steps now being taken in other dominions to provide a solution. The men who deal in the first place with these problems always come m for unfair criticism, and Mr Coates is no exception. Yet he had gone out boldly in* an endeavour to avoid evils which might easily have become a menace to the financial soundness of the Dominion. It is not my intention to go into the problems associated with local rating, but I would draw attention to the Commission of Inquiry which is shortly to commence its sittings in the neighbouring borough of Otaki. Rating on farm land within borough limits presents a very real and serious difficulty to all concerned. The entire confiscation of the assets of any individual is a method which even the most Communistic might hesitate to inflict. I confidently expect that all interested will assist the commission and Government in arriving at a conclusion which will give justice all round.”

In reply to a question, Mr M'Leod said that a revaluation of the whole of the Dominion should be made every seven years.

The Minister was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.