Land-Policy Evils A Legacy of Past

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 143, 7 September 1927, Page 9

Land-Policy Evils A Legacy of Past

GOVERNMENTS DEFENCE SOME SHARP CRITICISM (THE SUN'S F.rluitncntary R( porter » WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Sharp criticism of the administration of the Lands Department came from certain sections of the House of Representatives this afternoon, when the [ report of the Crown Lands Settlements j was presented by the Minister of | Lands, the Hon. A. D. McLeod. The Minister stoutly maintained that the : Government could not fairly be blamed I for the mistakes that had been made. I and suggested that critics would c.o better to consider the legacy that the | Government hac. been left to clear up. “If there is one department that can be termed bankrupt.'’ said Mr. G. W. j Forbes, Hurunui. “it is that dealing with the settlement of lands in New Zealand.” He referred to the loss sustained by Ngaroma settlers and said i that the Government should try to reimburse the people who had lest their all in backing the Government’s ver- ! diet. He had r?ad that in Canterbury the other day five abandoned farms had been offered for sale by auction, without a single bid. WHAT OF FUTURE? “If that was the position ir. Canterbury, the Lord knows what it must be like in the North Island, where there are so many abandoned farms.” said Mr. Forbes. “It is time the Government assured the country that the question of and settlement is net a dead letter. When the people realisthow much actions have differed from words, they will know how much they have been deceived regarding the promises made at the last election. I wculd like to know what the Government intends to spend on land settlement. What is their future policy?” Mr. W. S. Glenn, Rangitikei: My own poinion is that the time has arrived when we’ve got to review the whole position. GO BACK TO HISTORY

“There has been some criticism of the department and of myself as Minister,” said the lon. A. D. McLeod in reply, “and while, there has been some attempt to fasten the blame upon the Government for r.he ills and wrongs of the settlements, I think the critics would have done better by going back into history and examining the legacy that was left 1; the Government to clean up.” With present-day knowledge, over 1,000,000 acres of the? -land at Te Kuiti would never have been touched. Investigations he had made, in conjunction with officers of his department, showed that the amount of land at present unoccupied, and capable of being occupied without subsidy or help of some sort, was very small indeed. The taking up of such land, under present economic conditions, was hedged round with extreme financial risk. Mr. McLeod said that the prospects were that the country would go on steadily, and presently would compare more than favourably with any other country in the Empire. It had been said that thousands were walking off the land. The records of the country went to show that, in 1.905 there were 68,800 rural occupiers; this num % r li \ increased by S.Oi'O by 1911: in i 916 il was 77,000; in 1921, 84,000; and in 1925, 85,910. The city areas had increased largely during the past 15 years, and since 1912, 15,000 separate holdings had disappeared from rural areas into the cities by the enlargement of city boundaries. The amount of subdivision that was constantly going on was shown by the fact that between 1905 and 192.5, the land held in areas of between 50 and 100 acres had more than doubled. The report was laid on the table, together with that on Lands for Settlement.