The Waipa Post. Published on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1923. AN EXCESS OF LAND.

Waipa Post, Volume XXI, Issue 1339, 9 January 1923, Page 4

The Waipa Post. Published on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1923. AN EXCESS OF LAND.

NOT so very many years ago it was a privilege to own large areas of land; the large landowner was the envy of his neighbours. To-day it is quite the reverse; to own land is somewhat of a misfortune, and the large landowner is to be pitied rather than envied. Ou him the burden of taxation presses heavily, and this, coupled with the stale of the markets, compels the wider acceptance of the truth that large estates must gradually disappear. Moreover, time only serves to make more difficult the occupation of large, partially productive tracts of land, as, apart altogether from the financial condition, the marked,,! increase of weed and other pests 'is a serious problem, and unless a policy of closer settlement is followed it is certain that much of the grassed land will be given over to weed and other noxious growth in the near future. Weeds which were scarcely heard of a few years ago ere now becoming firmly established; the rabbit is making inroads into fresh territory every year, and generally the agricultural prospect is deteriorating ;n many localities. This sets a very real problem for the future, ft almost invariably happens that, the trouble locates itself in districts where grassed lands are held in large holdings, only partially cultivated, or where absentee owners reI tain lands in idleness for speculative purposes. In either case these lands become a menace, being the breeding ground for weeds and other pests which keep the whole neighbourhood alert. There surely must 1 e some serious defect in our system of land tenure when such a state of affairs can exist. The Agricultural Department is studying the spread of weeds and other pestsf regulations are made from day to day, and the countryside is menaced. Until some practical effort is made to strike at the- root cause of the trouble conditions will .surely drift from bad to worse. Expedience should .serve as a guide. Generally, though there may be except'ons, it is true, more weeds and more rabbus will be CounO in large-farm areas than in the districts where closer settlement lias neces-.iuLcd more intense farming. That being the case, the most commonsense method will be to encourage the sub-division of unproductive lands. Although the Lands Department goes on year after year opening new areas of virgin country, only a portion of the lands within striking distance of the existing lines or communication is reasonably farmed. It is a wrong policy to persistently open new country to settlement while so much of the nominally settled laud is little better than a breeding ground for rabbits and weeds. Even in this district there are numerous instances of farms that are deteriorating—that at best are not recouping the farmer an adequate return for the capital and energy employed. It would v iot infrequently happen that a careful analysis would show most farmers that barely more than 100 acres are payable and that the excess of area is really a handicap an da drain on their energies and finances. That being the case, would it not be common sense policy to dispose of the surplus land? With a well-farmed neighbourhood rabbits and weeds will be much more readily controlled, finance will adjust jnself, instead of working to pay mortgage interest there will be something for the farmer, there will be population sufficient to provide better roads and improved public serviceSj and generally 'the social life of the country will be raised to a higher plane. Closer settlement,' with more intense cultivation, is the surest policy for community and national success. It appears folly that there should be among the unemployed many experienced" farm workers when at the same time there is land in plenty for everybody, particularly since everybody would be better served were the lands to be held in profitable occupation. Land settlement and improved production are very certainly the basis of future progress, and are therefore the most pressing requirements in the agricultural communities to-day. It is for every farmer, possessing more land than can be successfully and profitably occupied, to invoke the aid of the authorities in securing sub-division and settlement on lines which, while j serving to 'benefit the individual, must j also work out to the advantage of j the Dominion. / )