LAND FOR SETTLEMENTS ACT, 1925 (REPORT ON THE).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1942 Session I, C-05

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1942. NEW ZEALAND.

LAND FOR SETTLEMENTS ACT, 1925 (REPORT ON THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 109 of the Land for Settlements Act, 1925. The Land Purchase Controller to the Hon. the Ministeb of Lands. Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, Ist June, 1942. Sir,— I have the honour to submit my report on the land-purchase operations for the year ended 31st March, 1942. During the financial year 1940-41 the Dominion Land Purchase .Board pursued an active policy of land-purchase, and twenty-one properties totalling approximately 31,000 acres were acquired with a view to further development for closer settlement. Unfortunately, the rapid deterioration in the supply position made a cessation of buying necessary. The Department was already facing heavy commitments in connection with the development and farming of the areas which had been acquired previously under the Land for Settlements Act, ] 925, or which had been set apart for the purposes of the Small Farms Act, 1932-33, and it was felt that all available supplies of manure, &c, could be utilized to the best advantage in maintaining these assets. The increasing shortage of suitable labour was another factor which had to be taken into consideration. The Board, nevertheless, continued to investigate any likely offers received, and it would uot have neglected the opportunity of recommending the purchase of any eminently suitable property offered at the " right " price. The only purchase during the year for general settlement was made from R. J. Mulligan, who offered 654 acres for inclusion in the block of properties near Ashburton (now known as the Valetta Settlement), taken over the previous year for development into irrigation units. The purchase-price was £2,500. The other purchases shown in Table C to this report were made to provide additional land for establishing settlers or to square up boundaries. I have, &c, R, G. Maomorran, Land Purchase Controller. The Hon. the Minister of Lands.

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Table A. —Number of Properties considered during Year ended 31st March, 1942.

Table B. —Summary of Private Estates acquired to 31st March, 1942.

Table C. —Return of Private Land purchased and paid for during Period from 1st April, 1941, to 31st March, 1942.

Annual Accounts. A statement of the moneys received into and paid out of the Land for Settlements Account during the year is included in parliamentary paper 8.-l [Part IV].

Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not givon ; printing (480 copies), £3 10s.

By Authority: E, V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington.—l 942.

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Number Number , . „. of Total area , , , v . . . . of Total area Land District. Properties offered. Land Diet™*. PrO p ert ies offered. offered. offered. North Auckland .. 7 6,011 'Canterbury .. .. 8 4,546 Auckland .. .. 4 7,508 Otago .. .. 2 2,310 Wellington .. .. 6 3,684 Southland .. .. 3 2,958 Totals .. 30 27,017 Note. —Offers which were obviously unsuitable were not referred to the Board.

Land District. Number. Area. Purchase-money. Acres. £ North Auckland .. .. 56 51,845 480,682 Auckland .. .. .. 82 391,083 1,310,982 Gisborne .. .. .. 26 86,380 790,131 Hawkc'sBay .. .. .. 59 264,783 1,714,292 Taranaki .. .. .. 27 31,959 376,031 Wellington .. .. .. 158 160,971 2,351,238 Marlborough .. .. .. 23 234,591 756,482 Nelson .. .. .. 14 48,821 150,473 Westland .. .. .. 3 6,032 14,062 Canterbury .. .. .. 195 463,461 3,592,100 Otago .. ... .. 82 336,803 2,036,023 Southland .. .. .. 35 96,609 534,780 i Totals .. .. 760 2,173,338 14,107,276

Name .oiOwner. Locality. jJSSStSSp. Ar »- "S"' A. E. P. £ S. d. Mrs. M. Stillborn .. .. Whakataki .. By agreement 125 1 28 600 0 0 K. J. Mulligan .. .. Valetta-Tinwald „ 653 3 18 2,500 0 0 Church Property Trustees .. Woodbury . . „ 0 2 00 5 0 0 State Advances Corporation, as St. Andrews . . „ 131. I 32 720 0 0 mortgagee in possession State Advances Corporation, as Waimate .. ,, 130 3 00 522 5 0 mortgagee in possession Lake County Council .. Lake Wakatipu ,, 0 0 12 5 0 0 Totals .. .. .. .. 1,042 0 10 4,352 5 0