GALATEA DEVELOPMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 13 October 1934, Page 9

GALATEA DEVELOPMENT

PRAISE FOR THE MINISTER HIGH HOPE HELD FOR FUTURE. PRODUCTIVITY OF WHOLE ESTATE. IMPROVEMENT IN THE PASTURES. (By Wire— Parliamentary Reporter.) « Wellington, Last Night. Several members of the House of Representatives to-day congratulated the Hon. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Lands, on the methods adopted with the development of the Galatea estate, comprising 22,000 acres, which was bought for closer settlement and which is being put into good condition and prepared for the settlement of a number of families. , ~ Last week-end Mr. Ransom and tne Hon. R. Masters, Minister of Education, visited the estate and in an interview to-night the Minister expressed the view that in the course of the next year or two there was no reason why practically the whole of the block should not be in a highly productive state. “When I visited the estate in February last,” said the Minister, “the new pasture was showing the effect of the prolonged dry spell in that locality. Twenty farms of 100 acres each have been subdivided with a view to offering them as milking farms for the present season, and houses and milking sheds have been erected on alternate sections.. However, the condition of the pasture at that time decided me to cancel the arrangement to offer sections on a permanent basis. “With a view to testing the country thoroughly for dairying purposes I decided to offer the area involved in ten sections on a sharemilking basis for the time being. Sharemilkers commenced operations at the beginning of the present season and are to-day milking with good results herds of 48 heifers each. For the -month of September the herds averaged 9001 b. of butter-fat, which for first calvers can be regarded as very satisfactory. “The settlers are working under the most favourable conditions, having comfortable homes with modem conveniences, well equipped milking sheds and a copious supply of water. My inquiries go to show they are ■ well pleased with their holdings and with the productivity of the land, and all that is required is the provision pf educational facilities for the 20 children now on the-set-tlement. This is being considered by the Minister of Education and the Auckland Education Board.

“One of the most satisfactory, features of the development work is the marked improvement in the new pasture since I saw it in February last. As a result of consolidation the grasses are stooling out and are now well established and in a condition to withstand the effect of the dry weather experienced in the locality during the summer.” Questioned whether it was his intention to increase the number of settlers on the block in the near future, the Minister said that although there was now ample pasture to enable that to be done the matter would not be considered until the next autumn, when he would have for his guidance the results of the sharemilkers’ operations. The department had been fortunate in securing experienced settlers, who were keenly interested in the establishment of settlement and were co-operating with the’ departmental officers in an endeavour to make it a success.