INCREASED ACTIVITY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17409, 6 November 1930, Page 10

INCREASED ACTIVITY

LAND SETTLEMENT DECISIONS OF CABINET .MOIIAKA TO BE OPENED fPnr Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night.. .Steps are being taken by Iho Government to put into operation that part of the Land Laws Amendment Act of this year relating to development and settlement.

Cabinet dealt with the question today and the ncting-Prime Minister announced this evening that a total of .£:»!,<K)0 had been authorised for developmental work upon several large blocks of Crown land, upon which settlers are to be placed or upon which they are already installed.

It. hits been decided to push ahead with the loading and the survey of tin' Alnhaka block of 10,040 acres, south of Wairoa, and Cabinet, to-day authorised the expenditure of £12,0()0 for this work. This will be carried out preparatory to the block being thrown open for settlement, but the form of actual development has not vet been decided.

In addition, Cabinet, authorised the sum of £IO,OOO to be spent upon both sections of the Ngakouru block in the Rotorua- district and £12,000 for the completion of development ol the To Kauwhata block, neat Auckland. Figures made, available by the Lands Settlement Department show the activities of the State in making advances to settlers. Since the beginning of the present year, the total ft mount advanced to date is £1,'10,554. Loan applications, made under one part of the Act, numbered 155, their value being £77,059. Of these, the land boards recommended 1.13 of the value of £48,03-1 for favorable consideration and the Development Board approved 110, of the total value of £42,034.

Under another section of the Act, a. total of 19 applications for loans was received, the, value of the sums sought being £14.2(52. The land boards recommended 17, whose value was £8047, and the Development Board approved lli, valued at £7797. 'flic total number of applications was 174, of the, value of £OB 221, and the dumber approved was 12(5, of the value of £50,743. In addition, authorisations totalling £70,828 were made for the development of unoccupied Crown bind. Of this sum, £69,055 was .authorised for the development of ordinary Crown lands and tin- remainder, £10,765, was set aside for .the development of soitlemeiit land.

Immediate steps have been taken by the Government to put into effect s' scheme for an extension of group settlement, which was authorised in this year's Act.