LAND SETTLEMENT.

Southland Times, Issue 17608, 24 March 1914, Page 4

LAND SETTLEMENT.

The absence of competition for sections that were offered for sale by the Lands Department on Friday last has caused a great deal of comment, and many reasons have been advanced as to why there was not a better enquiry. It has been stated that the land contained in the Ardlussa and Waireikiki estates was inferior in quality; but that statement cannot hold good, and it is a regrettable and an unfortunate fact that some Southland people have a habit of decrying their own land. In many instances of the kind, settlers from the North have taken up country which had been described as unprofitable to work, and have in a very short time shown convincingly how unsound and foolish were the opinions expressed by Southlauders concerning the properties in question. In regard to the estates that were offered for sale last week, it has to be noted that a few years ago they were simply swarming with rabbits, and in consequence it was almost impossible for stock to thrive on them. Under capable management, however, the rabbit nuisance was successfully coped with, and the result was that the pastures improved greatly. The prices for stock obtained at the clearing sales on the properties is a sufficient answer to the carping critics who harp on the alleged poor quality of the land. The stock that were disposed of were of the first quality, and the prices obtained were something of the nature of a record. It is quite within the mark to say that if similar land were offered in Canterbury, it would fetch from £lo to £2O per acre. The late owners have shown convincingly what the land is capable of doing, and if farmed intensively the results would undoubtedly surprise those people who, without the slightest reason for doing so, declare that the laud is inferior in quality. One has to look further for a reason for the absence of competition, and that of finance is undoubtedly a powerful one. Capital is required by the man who acquires a farm, and without it he has a hard row' to hoe. Indeed, for a man to take up land similar to that which was offered last week under present economic conditions, without having some sort of financial backing, would savour of folly and would probably result in defeat and disaster. There is no need to conceal the fact that at present money is exceedingly hard to obtain for investments of any kind, and, if this had not been so, the whole of the sections w'ould have been snapped up readily. This reference to the financing of new settlers opens up another question which need not be gone into at this juncture; but the point is that it is absurd to say that there are not bright possibilities in regard to the estates recently acquired in Southland by the Government. Other lauds in the province which were at one time less promising have been developed in such a manner that they are now closely and prosperously settled, and undoubtedly a similar success awaits the Ardlussa and Waireikiki properties. The desire to take up land is as keen among the people as it ever was, and no doubt the sections that were not competed forlast week will be taken up shortly. Every .patriotic SoutWander desires to hare

th® lands In the province as closely settled on as possible, and it is regretbble that-some foolish people seek to retard progress in this direction by Iflecrying the commendable efforts that are being made. A good deal has been heard of the term “stinking fish” from ! *ime to time, and this is one of the instances in which the raising of the Cry Is greatly to be deplored.