LAND SETTLEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 October 1929, Page 8

LAND SETTLEMENT.

There will be no complaint with the principles underlying the new Land Laws Amendment Bill. According to the Minister of Lands (Hon. G. W. Forbes) they are to bring into use undeveloped Crown lands and to increase settlement 0.. lands already occupied. For the purpose of developing Crown lands a sum of £5,000,000 is to be provided, iii addition to £1,000,000 already authorised, so that on the side of finance the scheme should have every opportunity of becoming a success. Lands art) to be classified, a certain amount of developments and improvement carried out, including means of access, and they will then be. subdivided and balloted for. The actual work of development will be in the control of a Lands Development Board, consisting of the heads of the Land and Agricultural departments and other expert officials, with the Minister as chairman. To supervise the actual preparation of the land for settlement local lands committees are to be set up. They will consist of two practical farmers with local experience working in conjunction with the district Commissioner of Crown Lands. When the land is ready for occupation the development board will have power to grant advances for buildings and improvements up to 90 per cent, of the completed improvements. The other portion of the Bill refers to the method of acquiring land from private owners. Compulsory acquisition powers are retained by the Crown, and a simple method of arriving at equitable compensation is provided., The Bill is admittedly mere or less an experiment. What the cost of its preparation amounts to may make all the difference between land being worth occupying or not. Judging from the Minister’s remarks, it would seem that the work of development is to be one of the ways of giving work to the unemployed. Unless selection is very careful this will mean very high costs, while if selection is strict the relief of unemployment will be correspondingly reduced. If the cost of partially improving land makes its price too high for successful farming, either the State must reduce the price and cut the loss or the land will remain unoccupied. Mr. Forbes admitted the Bill will depend . upon administration for its success or failure. It is an attempt to deal with circumstances that are difficult in various ways. At the same time a demand for land is known to exist, chiefly among those who have little capital. For these the financial clauses of the Bill should prove a help, for it is difficult to conceive of more generous terms. If the Bill becmes law the policy it will initiate will commence with general goodwill, whatever may be the misgivings in regard to its chances of success.