LAND SETTLEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1924, Page 9

LAND SETTLEMENT.

IMPERIAL EMPIRE SCHEME. GROUP SYSTEM NOT PRACTICABLE. MINISTER REPLIES TO .FARMERS’ UNION. The New Zealand Farmers’ Union, at the last meeting of its Dominion Executive, decided to forward a remit to the Government, urging that an adequate scheme of immigration and land settlement should 'be undertaken so as to take full advantage of the Imperial Empire Settlement Act, 1922, and develop the waste lands of the Dominion. “As you are aware,” states the Minister for Lands (Hon. A. -D. McLeod), in his reply to the union, it is a difficult matter to settle on the land in a group system or community scheme of settlement 4iny large number of immigrants from abroad, and this can practically only be done when fertile and comparatively large areas near the centres of population are provided for the purpose. As you are aware, such land has long been alienated 'by the Ui’ovvn in New Zealand, and the lands now available for disposal comprise mostly pastoral areas of rugged country remote from railways and towns, and also worked out kauri-gum areas, pumice lands, and others that require a certain amount of special local experience in working to enable them to be utilised to good advantage, in conjunction with a fair amount of working capital. It must, therefore, be recognised that it is a very difficult matter to place farmers from England upon lands in New Zealand, which possess different characteristics and would require to be utilised in a different manner to the lands of the Old Country. The Government is at all times ready to afford intending immigrants 'from abroad full information a'bout the Crown lands of the Dominion, so that when such immigrants arrive in Ne'w Zealand they can inspect the lands offered, and after having seen the conditions under which they will have to work they will then ibe in a better position to apply for land suitable to their requirements. Full information'has been and will be given to all intending settlers on the land in this Dominion; but for the reasons mentioned a co-operative scheme of settlement as has been suggested is out of the question under existing conditions.;’ TRANSPORT FACILITIES IN BAOK■Br.OCKS. Tn reply to a representation from the union that adequate transport facilities should be provided before placing settlers on the land, the Minister has replied in the following terms:—“lt has always been the policy of the Government to provide transport facilities and road access to ail 'blocks of land

placed on the market, but owing to continued and. pressing demand for land, and the expressed desire of applicants to take it up before roads are in a finished condition, it has 'been impossible to withhold land until roads of communication'have been fully completed. As you are aware, one-thirdrof the rents of’ Crown leaseholds under settlement tenures and one-fourth of rents of small grazing runs, are devoted for a period of fifteen years towards improving of road access in addition to money spent in providing access 'before the land EXEMPTION FROM LAND TAX INADVISABLE. Another remit forwarded to the Government was as follows: “Where 'blocks of land are being held for the encouragement of immigration and close settlement, they should be exmpt from land tax during such limited time as an approved annual amount of capital is being expended for the purposes of development.” “Blocks of Crown lands,” states the 'Minister, in his reply, “are not liable for land tax until selection, and it is inadvisable to exempt blocks of private land from any statutory tax, no matter for what purpose the owners may desire to utilise them. No doubt the ultimate reward reaped by the owners will compensate them for their outlay, including land tax and other taxes. For the reasons given previously, suitable 'blocks of Crown lands are not available for improvement by corporations, etc., with the view of their being afterwards disposed of to immigrants and others. There exists no reason for amending the existing law with regard to land tax in the manner suggested.”