LAND BOARD RESIGNS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16425, 8 May 1924, Page 2

LAND BOARD RESIGNS.

MINISTER FAILS TO SUPPORT BOARD. ALL MEMBERS RESIGN. INDIGNANT WITH TREATMENT. In consequence l of the refusal of the Minister of Lands to support, the recommendation with regard to the settlers on the Ardkeen and Ohuka. settlements near Wairoa, the Gisbornc Land Board consisting of Messrs A. J. Cameron, .1. H. Reid, R. H. Wieksteed and G. 0. Donovan, to-day wired their resignations to Wellington. When the Board met this morning, a. letter from the Minister was considered. The letter said that "in view of the present policy, it. was not desirable to take drastic action in the case of settlors who were in arrears." The various Board members discussed the position, pointing ont that the Minister had been made aware of every movement in connection with Ardkeen and that all along he had upheld the Board's policy. He now refused to act on their, recommendation. The matter was dealt with in committee and on resumption in open meeting the following resolution was carried :

"As the Board's recommendations in the matter do not meet with the approval of the Minister and the Minister has failed to back up the Board after promising to do so, the unofficial members of the Board decide to tender their resignations. Board directs resolution to be telegraphed to the Minister at once."

. The Ardkeen settlement was opened in June 1920, said one of the Board members to a Herald reporter, and some of the settlers have only paid one half years' rent since they took up the properties. Two years' after the property was taken up the settlers wrote to the Hawke's Bay Land Board, in whose trict the properties were then situated, asking for immediate and adequate reduction in capital values, and also that all accumulated rents and! interests be written off. They threatened that if this proposal was not agreed' to, they would ventilate the matter on the floor of the House.

No attempt was then made to pay up anv arrears, and the matter was mentioned in a letter from the Under-Sec-retary for Lands who pointed out that even though a slump had been experienced, the land had some economic value ■and the tenants should try to pay as much as possible so as to prevent the arrears from accumulating. At t'lio February meeting this year, the Board decided that defaulting settlers should be compelled to pay 25 per cent, of arrears before the next meeting, or forfeit, their laind. The Minister of Lands expressed his approval nf the notion of the Land Board with regard to the demand for 25 per cent, of the arrears, and expressed gratification that the Board were taking a firm st-alnd.

In order to lie absolutely fair to Ihe settlers. and to give the men a chance, the Board, at its March meetin, modified its demands, and resolved that the settlers bo given till the next Board meeting to pay one half-year's rent of the money owing. If the settlers did oof pay this amount, the Board would recommend the Minister to forfeit the land.

At the April meeting of the Board (lie individual cases came up for consideration, and il was resolved to recommend forfeiture in the case of 10 settlers who were still defaulting. Since that date three of Ihe settlers have paid one half-year's rent. I'p till this stage the,. Minister for Lands liail supported the Board and had said that they must be firm. He, had signified bis approval of their actions, but when the recommendations for forfeiture were sent forward to Wellington, he side-tracked the matter.

A deputation of the Ardkeen settlers, headed by Mr. O'Kane, went down and interviewed the Minister at Wellington, and the result was apparent in a letter received at the Land Board meeting. The Minister did not act on the Board's reeomrcommendations but suggest that the

whole matter should be held in abeyance until such time as the recommendations of the Dominion I'e-va'iuation Board were available.