TARANAKI FARMLETS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 88, 5 July 1927, Page 18

TARANAKI FARMLETS

PROPOSED SUBDIVISION GOVERNMENT MAY PURCHASE (Special to THE SUN.) HAWERA, To-day. A movement of very considerable Importance to Taranaki is under way, namely, the cutting up of 1,000 acres in the Normanby district for closer settlement by making available 50acre farmlets. A party of those interested waited on the Minister of Lands last week, and the Minister said his experience of cutting up such holdings was that the applicants, as in the case of the Gisborne land purchased recently, were plentiful, but they had no more than about £25. He suggested cutting up the land in question into 100acre holdings. Mr. McLeod undertook to purchase the Normanby property and dispose of it to applicants on the deferred payment system, provided there were ten applicants with £SOO cash each. Mr. Hughes, one of the deputationists, said he anticipated no trouble in securing suitable applicants. In fact, they already had several, but the general opinion seemed to be rather in favour of 50-acre holdings, in which case he suggested 20 applications with £250 each.

He hopes to place this proposition before the Minister in the near future.