SETTLERS IN TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 September 1924, Page 5

SETTLERS IN TARANAKI.

GOOD PRICES CONTINUE. . N'OXIOUS WEEDS MENACE. (•By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. Mr. J. Cook, Commissioner of Crown Lands for Taranaki, writes as follows in his annual report: The prices for primary products have been well maintained during the yea-“, and the increased prices for wool have improved the financial position of many settlers. Good prices have been obtained for sheep, but cattle, whi:h are so necessary for crushing fern and second growth on many Taranaki farms, have to be kept mainly for that purposeand not for profit. The noxious weeds menace has not been so pronounced as last year, ragwort being kept more in cheek, especially in the coast districts, by the depredations of the caterpillar, but the peripatetic blackberry and assorted varieties of ferns, with their various allies, are still in evidence. The revenue for the year was £77,460, as against £104,543 last year. A further fall in the receipts from the purchase of West Coast leases largely accounted for this. The rents for education reserves totalled £10,478, and those from Crown sections £24,580. An endeavour has been made to keep the arrears as low as possible, and every selector’s ease lias been treated on its merits. Regarding land remaining for selection, the report says: This Is practically all rough grazing country difficult of access, and it is not likely that any of it will be selected unless the beef market takes a turn for the better. There are still some sections available on the Huatoki settlement, near New Plymouth, averaging about six acres, with a good ’bus service. These would offer some attraction to a man with a growing family, when the farm and dairy work could be distributed. To the young married man working in town they offer some inducement at first, but the selector is soon disillusioned. The sections are too small to make a living off and too large for a man to keep in order in his spare time. It is doubtful whether poultry-farming on a large scale can be made to pay. Fruitgrowing, as an industry, has yet to be made a success in Taranaki, and the continuous westerly winds in spring and summer restrict operations of bees. The unselected sections on the settlement soon become overrun with weeds and are a menace to the land in the vicinity. Taken all round it is doubtful whether the purchase of the land for cutting up into small holdings is justifiable. The restrictions on some of the sections have now been removed, and they may be selected by civilians. There was a falling off in the amount, received for the purchase of the West Coast leases, the total amount received being £14,852, in addition to which £4132 was received for the purchase of other freeholds.