SETTLING THE LANDLESS

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1931, Page 7

SETTLING THE LANDLESS

LACK OF CAPITAL A BAR

NEW LEGISLATION INADEQUATE.

MINISTER SUGGESTS FRESH PLAN.

The Minister of Lands, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, in a letter to Mr. W, J. Poison, M.P., discusses the problem of putting men without capital on farms and suggests that further action may be taken by the Government. As the matter is one of great public importance and as many requests are being made to members of Parliament to know the position by intending settlers, Mr. Polson has handed the letter to the Daily News for publication. Under date February 23 Mr. Ransom writes:—

I beg to refer to your letter of the 12th instant, addressed to the Undersecretary for Lands, regarding the question of settling on the land men without capital. This is a matter which has been giving me a good deal of concern. It was more easy of accomplishment during the period of rising values, when with a small initial advance prospective settlers could take up sections of undeveloped Crown land and, after a fewyears under pioneering conditions, establish themselves successfully. .Now, however, not only are the economic • conditions very much changed, but also the department has not on hand the large area of good Crown land which was available during the period I refer to. The improved system of farming has, however, made available areas of Crown land which in the past have not been, deemed capable of profitable development, and the Government has already made a forward move in bringing a number of such blocks ■■ into occupation either by prior development or by making improvement advances under the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1929.

Under this legislation Parliament made an endeavour to meet the requirements of men who, having little capital at their command, desired to take up farming; but experience has shown, however, that it does not meet the problem of the man who has absolutely no capital. Improvement advances provided under the 1929 legislation may be made by the Lands Development Board up to ninety per cent, of the value of the completed work, and are payable as the work progresses. But in going into the business of farming there are many incidental expenses (apart from any deposit which may be necessary) with which the intending settler is invariably faced. These include inspection, costs, transport of family, living expenses until improvement advances are payable, and also the purchase of stock. It is obvious, therefore, that the present machinery does not provide for the settlement of men having absolutely no capital at their command; but in view of the abnormal conditions now prevailing I am seriously considering the question of making such special provision as will enable the Government to consider the settlement of such men on the unoccupied properties now on the books of the department.