SETTLERS AT KAIRANGI

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 58, Issue 4191, 31 May 1939, Page 11

SETTLERS AT KAIRANGI

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER TENANCY PROMISED NEXT YEAR. Subject to the confirmation of the Small Farms Board, the Government has decided, upon recommendations submitted by the trustees of the Waikato Land Settlement Society, to allow the nine settlers on the Kairangi block, who were allocated a holding about two years ago, to take up tenancy and to commence farming the land at the commencement of the 1940,-41 dairying season. This announcement was made by the ActingMinister of Lands, the Hon. W. Lee Martin, in reply to a deputation at Kairangi on Monday, when settlers criticised the delay in giving tenancy. The meeting of the Minister with the settlers was arranged by Mr W. S. Goosman, M.P. for the Waikato, and associated with the Minister were Mr D. Greig, assistant superintendent of the land settlement, and Mr S. Smith, overseer of the settlements founded by the Waikato Land "Settlement Society. ALLOCATION TWO YEARS AGO. One of the settlers affected by the Government’s decision, Mr W. Fleming, said that nine men on the Kairangi block hqd been allocated about 50 acres each, two years ago, but up to the present they had not commenced to work the farms although they each had a home upon the property. Every day they were obliged to go away to another part of the block to assist in breaking in new land. Two years ago they had understood from the Waikato Land Settlement Society that they would be permitted to take up the land which had been allocated to them, and each of the men was anxious to start farming his land. “If the nine prospective settlers do not get a start this year,” said Mr Fleming, “some of them will have to secure a job somewhere else. Already half of the men who were on the Kairangi block originally have left the settlement as they thought the Waikato Land Settlement Society was never going to give them a start.” Mr Fleming said on most of the nine properties allocated milking sheds had been built and separators installed about two years ago and they were lying idle at the present time. SONS GOING OFF THE LAND. One of the objects of the Waikato Land Settlement Society’s scheme, added Mr Fleming, was to encourage the children of the settlers to go on the land. While the men could not get their land to work there was no prospect of keeping sons at home and already several young men had left the settlement for more attractive work in the towns. The Minister said there was considerable work to be done on the nine holdings before the men took ovei tenancy, but all that would be completed so that the men could start farming immediately. The valuation of the properties would be fixed after consultation with the trustees of, the Waikato Land Settlement Society. “We were told that we would be able to take up tenancy this spring and I understood that was the recommendation of the Waikato Land Settlement Society trustees. Is that correct oi* not?” asked one of the settlers. Mr Lee Martin said he was unaware if that was the case. “If we do not get going what are we going to do with our sons?” added the settler. “When they are 18 you will soon find enough money to give them a gun to shoulder. I want my sons on the farm, not in a munitions factory but they cannot go on a farm if we have no farm on which to employ them.” FAIR PRODUCTIVE VALUE. “There is just a bare living in these farms and we are working 80 hours a week or more to secure it,” said Mr G. Headifen, referring to the five settlers who had secured a tenancy of land. He could not understand how the society arrived at a fair productive value upon which, it was stated, the valuation of the farms was estimated. “It is ridiculous the price we have paid for these farms,” he added. “Any farmer will tell you it is too high, while one valuer placed a value of £2O an acre on a section that the society passed to us at £3O an acre. Mr Headifen said the tenants thought they had created a good equity in the land to which they thought they were entitled. The society had admitted that but did not think of it when drawing up the agreement. Mr Lee Martin: What about the equity of the people who helped to pay you wages? Mr Headifen: That comes under taxation and all the people in New' Zealand pay for it. CHEAP LABOUR GIVEN. “It does not matter if it cost £5OOO to bring in these farms. We were premised that the valuation would be on the productive value,” said Mr Headifen, in criticising the high valuation. This scheme was commenced for men without finance and we were financed 100 per cent, but we should not be ‘stung’ now because of that.” The Minister: Why should you get the land for below market value? Mr Headifen: We were promised it but, in any case, we placed a great deal of cheap labour into the land in the first place. The Minister said the idea of the Waikato Land Settlement Society had been to place men on the land and to eliminate as far as possible, speculation in land. The Government agreed to preserve those principles when the scheme was taken over from the society. He said if there had never been speculation in land the country would not have many of the difficulties facing it at the present Lime. He expressed admiration of the work of the Waikato Land Settlement Society. Before saying that the valuation of land was too high, the Minister considered the settlers ought to see its producing capabilities in a normal season which had not been experienced in the last two years.

MINISTER’S REPLY. “I do not know if there is any provision for re-valuation,” said the Minister, “but we would have to be guided very largely by the advice of the trustees of the Waikato Land Settlement Society.” Mrs G. Faulkner considered that the Government deduction of 40 per cent, from the dairy returns in payment cf the land was too high. The return from the farms was not more than £450 a year she considered. The Minister explained that the Government had an order for 100 per cent, deduction from the dairy cheques. Only 40 per cent, was retained, however, and 60 per cent, went to the tenant plus the return from pigs and calves. From the 40 per cent, deducted, all the interest on the capital invested in the land and the cost of manure was paid. The depart'ment considered it was necessary to ensure that the manure went on the land and therefore they made a deduction sufficient to pay for it. Mr P. Oldham criticised the fact that men who had been allotted holdings but who had not yet received the tenancy of them should have to go away breaking in fresh land every day instead of attending to the holdings. He said they had undertaken to clear the 14 holdings originally established under the Waikato Land Settlement scheme but not any fresh land, as they were doing at present. Messrs R. Newcombe, C. Russo and W. A. Fisher, officials of the Cambridge branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association also attended the meeting.