DETERIORATED LANDS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16208, 4 December 1926, Page 10

DETERIORATED LANDS

ASSISTING SETTLERS GREATER RELIEF NEEDED. The question of assistance for those qnfortunatp settlers who are farming country on which deterioration has taken place is one that has recently been considered by the Government. The problem, does not, of course, affect settlers in Poverty Bay, .but. settlers in the Waiockn, not. far from Mntawai and close to the borders of the Bay of Plenty are directly concerned. These settlers are eagerly waiting for the relief that the Government has promised them, arid they wall bo interested to know that the subject is one which is being widely discussed. Land and estate agents in Wangamii recently discussed the position, and: strongly condemned the Government for its policy of inaction. Contending that these pioneer settlers were worthy of every possible assistance. the meeting urged that, a number of..different, types of assistance should be' given. • . THE SPECIAL COMMISSION. Mr. F. R. ll.’Brice (Marten) said:, “The .Government, last year set up a special cCfinini'ssion to investigate; and,/..report’ upon tho deteriorated lands of the Dominion. Tho report was brought down and is very interost-

ing reading, as it shows that the commission made thorough investigations of the various qualities of land that are deteriorating. The Government, however, has not made any conspicuous efforts to carry opt the recommendations'of that commission, with the re* suit that many farmers, since the report was brought down, have deserted their farms, and. a great many more, to our, knowledge, are contemplating doipg likewise. We \frge the Government to take some immediate action to check the forfeitures which are taking place. It is disastrous to the Dominion that this should be allowed to go on, when we consider that our mere existence depends upon tho production from the soil. PREVENTING DETERIORATION. “I recognise that there are many hundreds of acres of bush felled on land that should never have seen an axe, and which it is not possible to check from deterioration, but there are thousands, of acres, as tho reports of the special commission mentioned, which could be prevented from deterioration if tho settlers could get financial assistance at a reasonable rate of interest to buy suitable stock, and every three or four' years cut tho second growth which -springs, up on second, and third class lands • for many years after a bush burn. “It is this land that we nrc more concerned over, for we recognise that if it is allowed to become unstocked or unattended, it becomes valueless, and if this is permitted to go on as it is doing, it is going to materially affect the revenue of the Dominion. T 'claim that, the Government should take immediate steps to carry out the recommendations of the special commission and thereby prevent these men from deserting their farms, for these men are the greatest asset the Dominion has. PROTECTED LABOR. , “The farmer has a iso to contend with a form of protected administration by labor unions who demand ex ijOssivc rates of pay for production that Inis to go through their chainlets. The Arbitration Court leans toward.-, favoring protected labor unions, with the result that. the members of such unions’, for an eight-hour day, obtain a great deal more per annum ihan me man on tho land, who many times averages 12 hours per day per annum.

" ini' back-block. • set tier or otnerwiso the pioneer worker upon soeoiu; unit third class kinds, wno 1 claim is one of the chief essentials to the Dominion, does not get the. same financial assistance us his fellow worker in the town or city, who can obtain from the Advances Department 95 per cent, of Government valuation for a house if he desires to build a home. I claim that the Government should assist the back-block worker in the same liberal manner provided, the security was well reported on, as lie is the man who helps to make the existence. of the worker in the town or city possible. SPECULATIVE CAPITAL. “I should suggest that the Government should consider some legislation whereby the banks, if they refuse to find , speculative capital and leave it; to the firms to find it, should only be entitled to charge these auctioneering institutions who find speculative capital, a fate of interest on their current overdraft of 1 per cent, in excess of their fixed deposit rates. This should be quite sufficient profit for the banks to make on conducting an account. The auctioneers should also be under a restriction not to charge more than a rate of.l per cent, interest on that charged,, to theiii by the bank. “The road rates are invariably, on second and third class lands, greater than that of the same capital value on first class, land, for the reason that the cost of formation and metalling of roads on „tli,e. first, class, land is. generally not ko, expensive, and, again, the settlement of this land was brought in when tjie cost .of.labor was 100 per e,eut. cheaper than - if ¥as'been of latter years., 1 ’• \ “I suggest that these roads serving the. second and third class lands be formed and paid for out of consolidated funds, ,oy otherwise a liberal Government grant of, say,.at least 0(5 per cent, of thc.cost of.such work. This would help .to assist in lightening the burden' pt"taxation on the pioneer farmer. “I also suggest that the Government should'givo'a'ssistaiiop for conveying jit a very nominal .charge all manure and seed required tor restoration of the so-called, deteriorated lands.”'” ' '/ T}ic suggestions will doubtless meet with the ' approval of those who thoroughly understand the difficulties kith.which the settlers on deteriorated lands have:been fincod. ,