BILL SOON TO ALTER METHOD OF ACQUIRING LAND

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 September 1950, Page 5

BILL SOON TO ALTER METHOD OF ACQUIRING LAND

Minister Gives Indication Of The New Government's Land Policy PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS, Last Night (P.A.)—Some indication was given by the Minister of Lands (Mr. Corbett) tonight, when he spoke in the Budget debate in the House of Representatives, of the Government’s intentions with regard to the development of land.

Mr. Corbett said that a Bill is to be brought down soon to develop a new method of acquiring land. He also said that men would be permitted to take up partly developed land and develop it themselves, thus gaining the freehold. An amendment, he hoped, would be introduced soon to the Maori Land Act to enable Maori land to be farmed so that it contributed to social security.

Mr. Corbett said he felt that the compulsory clauses in the Land Sales and Soldiers Settlement Act had some justification, but they had been administered too harshly. Too little consideration had been given to what was involved in dispossessing a man of his holding. One of the greatest needs in the country was the protection of the family unit, but by the breaking up of many holdings and making the units so small the family group had been dispersed and insufficient land was left for the farmer to establish his own family. LAND POLICY. To accelerate its land settlement policy the Government intended to introduce a completely new method of acquiring land in n Bill which would shortly come down, and which would remerve many of the objections to the present method of acquisition. It had been contended that, more land had been acquired in Auckland than in any other land district, but the latest figures showed that there had been 185 acquisitions In the Wellington land district, 115 in South Auckland, 57 i n North Auckland, 54 in Otago, 48 in Gisborne and in other districts 40 and under. He considered that those who had bee n settled on the land owed a great debt of gratitude to those who had given or had submitted their holdings for rehabilitation purposes. Mr. Corbett said there was not an unlimited amount of land available in New Zealand. The cultivable area had remained steady at about 22,000,000 acres for some years. To meet 4000 applications from ex-servicemen some 600 farms were at present unde' development, and of these he hoped 500 would be available this year. To June 30 last, 1,000,000 acres had been acquired for the settlement of exservicemen and another 750,000 acres would be required to meet the needs of those on waiting lists. The final cost of settling servicemen on the land would he staggering, and the amount to be written off would not be less than after the first World War. Mr. Corbett said the amount to be written off would be more than £l5OO per farm unit. Typical of high costs was that reading alone would cost £300,000 this

year. Much of the cost was due to an innovation this country enjoyed, but which few wished to pay for—the 40iiour week. The development of land under the contract system on a 40nour week bases added from £lO to £l5 per acre to the cost of farms. To avoid this high cost of development by the Stale, the Government was now allowing men to take up partly developed land to improve themselves. Mr. Corbett said undeveloped lana included thousands of acres of nonMaori land in private hands. It was proposed, in throwing open for ballots some large blocks of land now being prepared for subdivision, to put successful applicants on an annual lease for a short term with a covenant calling for orderly development. If the covenant was fulfilled an unrestricting right to take up the freehold would bi granted. It the covenant was not fulfilled, the lease would be cancelled. Safeguards would also be provided to prevent trafficking in leases of this land, which was too precious to allow that. Mr. Corbett said it was right to give a warning that further problems remained in land development. I n the past 12 months it has been necessary to buy between 25,000 and 30,000 tons of phosphatic fertiliser for areas under development and the bill tpr grass seed had been £200,000. The Minister said early opportunity would be taken to introduce a Marginal Land Bill, which would be in fulfilment of the National Party’s election pledge to allow financial assistance to be given those on marginal holdings. Mr. Corbett also said a pastoral leases officer had been appointed tc revise leases of South Island pastoral land. This officer had the confidence of those with leases in the South Island high country, and he was confident that some increase in production would result, putting a peg in retroversion. KING COUNTRY LAND.

Mr. Corbett said that a matter which had given him considerable concern was large areas of Maori land, particularly in the King Country, which was a hotbed of weeds and contributing nothing to production or rating. Some was Being kept out of production because of title difficulties, and some because the Maoris were too indolent to farm it. The Maori people, like Europeans, were enjoying the benefits of a welfare State. Therefore, none should be allowed to sit, as it were, on the source of national welfare—the land. He hoped to introduce before long an amendment to the Maori Land Act which would enable land to be farmed so that it might become productive and contribute to the cost of the Social Security which all enjoyed. To an interjection, Mr. Corbett said the same principle would apply to European land.