POWER TO TAKE FARMS

Southland Times, Issue 25717, 6 July 1945, Page 8

POWER TO TAKE FARMS

AUTHORITY NOT USED IN MEANTIME (P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 5. Mr F. Hackett (Lab., Grey Lynn), in an urgent question in the House of Representatives today asked the Minister of Lands, Mr Skinner, whether it was true that an undertaking had been given not to operate the powers of compulsory acquisition contained in the Servicemen’s Settlement and Land Sales Act. Mr Hackett asked if the Minister realized that the effect of such an undertaking would be to permit the vendor to withdraw from a contract for sale if he was dissatisfied with the basic value fixed by a land sales committee. Mr Skinner said it was true that such an undertaking had been given for single unit farms. Actually only twq or three farms had been taken compulsorily in the past ,and then only at the request of the ex-serviceman purchaser concerned. Probably the effect of the undertaking would, therefore, be very small. Mr Skinner explained that he had been informed for some time past that vendors were unwilling to offer farms to ex-servicemen for fear of having their properties taken compulsorily when the vendor was ,not satisfied with the basic value fixed. Although he did not believe this was the case, he had recently given the Whangarei R.S.A. a written assurance that compulsion would not apply. He hoped the result would be a great increase in the number of farms for servicemen’s settlement, but if six months’ experience did not justify that hope, the former practice would be reverted to.