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Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1930, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN FARM COLONIES.' • SCHEME- INVICTORIA-. ' ’ ■ : ~t - ; -7 '< : I -. Sydney, Nov. 13. The Assistant Chief ; Secretary of Victoria, Mr. Kierfi&n, Who has been administering. the- sustenance section of the Victorian relief scheme, is going to .submit'to'his Government a scheme for the .-establishment of farm. colonies where unemployed who, are not Skilled in land work may Be placed in profitable and healthy occupations. If such farms Ate established they will not be the, first of their' nature, and there are inahy' Who consider that in these times of serioti A Unemployment land colonies Are a proper j,hd suitable means of absorbing men for whom othdr occupation cannot be found. In Victoria, after the boom ’ of 1893, an Act was -passed for the establishment of three' descriptions of rural ' settiemen to—viblago communities, homestead asteria-' tlons and labour colonies. The labour colony Was established- on 800 actes at Leongatha, the object . Being to afford’ temporary relief at sustenance Wagds to able-bodied destitute, men. , In the first yter of the existence of this colony-1013 men wete sent to it, and during thh next 15 years nearly 7000 out of 9965 applicants Wete afforded relief. The colonists were instruct-’ cd in geiieral farming, pig farming was carried on extensively, and thb cost Of maintenante, including food, Wages and management,'was only , 8s fid .pier man per week. It Was stated At the. time that-With the Letefidatha colony in existence thefe WAS no heed for any man to. starve in the city. Every Week destitute men applied to be sent there, And the farm became almost self-supporting and generally was regarded as a great success. After 26 years of USeful existence the land , Was resumed by the Government fdf soldier settlement—and it may safely be said that it has ndt paid the State so Well.

The Leongatha settlement was one of the most successful State enterprises in the history of Victoria, and it seems that if the experiment were repeated it could be just as successful. A similar colony has been established near Adelaide by the Central Methodist Mission thefe, the idea being to make it a training school for primary industry. About 50 men are already employed at- the Adelaide farm and it seems to be well bn' the rbad to success.