IDLE LAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 March 1920, Page 9

IDLE LAND.

AREA OP OVER 100,000 ACRES. West of Pipiriki, bounded by Patca, Stratford, and Whangamoniona counties, and at the northern end within ten miles of the Stratford link railway to the Main Trunk, there is an area of over 100,000 acres of good pastoral country at present unroaded and not settled, all of which is inside Waitotara County. This area was referred to by Cr D. Ross at a recent meeting of the Waitotara County Council. He said that some time ago the matter was brought under the attention of Mr W. A. Veiteh, M.P., and it was urged 'as a lot of the returned soldiers wanted la.nd the Government should throw open this big area for settlement. The next stage was a letter from the Minister of Lands saying that there were 100,000 acres unoccupied inside the county boundaries. If the land was settled anil the Government gave assistance by paving f° r every acre of bush felled it wn'nhf be a good proposition for New Zosu H!l( i. By opening up this land it would iissfst to reduce the National Debt. if" would be a good thing to have the land settled and plenty would take up that cTiiss of country. The Minister had „ emitted there were large areas of unoccupied land in the Taranaki Land District. This was in the upper portion of Waitotara. The speaker contended the Government should open up the land and road it. In the case of native land the Government could make arrangements so that the natives would not get the enhanced value of the land caused by roading; possibly the Government could buy all the native land first. He hoped the chairman would push the matter onIt would be better to have 200,000 sheep on the areas instead of a few wild pigs. The land was not half as rough as some of the land at Aim Aim which was carrying grass at the present time. It was decided to urge the Government to throw open the area for settlement, a largo portion of it being Crown land.