UNIQUE SCHEME

Southland Times, Issue 20615, 13 October 1928, Page 8

UNIQUE SCHEME

IMMIGRANT FARMERS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE’S PLAN APPROVED BY LORD LOVAT (Per United Press Association.) New Plymouth, October 12. Lord Lovat, Messrs Skevington and Thomson arrived to-night preparatory to investigating the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce scheme for bringing English public school boys to Taranaki as immigrant farmers and held a conference with representatives of the Chamber. After Mr Carter, chairman of the immigration committee of the Chamber, had outlined the operation over four years, and various speakers bad testified to its success, Mr T. C. List, one of the prime movers of the policy submitted, on behalf of the committee, a proposal that under the Land Amendment Act passed by Parliament last week, money be found for the purpose of land for boys by the British and New Zealand Governments in whatever proportions considered equitable, boys or their parents to find not less than five per cent purchase and sub-divional improvements and in addition the cost, of stock, or alternatively ten per cent of the cost of land sub-divisional improvement and stock combined and money advanced by way of assistance to be repaid on the amortization principle over a period of say 30 years. The local committee would act as an advisory board in all matters especially the purchase of land. Mr List on behalf of the committee, also submitted a scheme for the group system of settlement in suburban areas of superannuated and pensioned service men and families from Great Britain and India and offered to try out the experiment in New Plymouth. Lord Lovat in reply, said that the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce schoolboy scheme was unique in the Empire and much talked of at Home. Where considered a success he approved of an extension of the scheme to the purchase of farms as outlined by Mr List, but said that Britain was strictly limited by the Overseas Settlement Act of 1922. An arrangement must be made whereby the Dominion shared responsibility fifty fifty with Britain and Britain’s help must be in the nature of subsidizing losses rather than financing individuals. Mr Skevington on behalf of the Treasury, emphasized the four essential points. The boys must be carefully selected, must be given a fair start in the right farm at the light place, must deposit at least £2OO which would be the first loss if they failed and must pay a little more in interest than the Government to raise loan money in order to provide a fund against loss. It was generally agreed that assistance must be in the nature of a reward to boys making good after they had been given a trial, assistance not to be given unless the boys will require four years in the country before earning the £2OO necessary to avail themselves of the loan. Lord Lovat agreed to give the scheme careful consideration and discuss it with Mr Coates and the Ministry.