The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, OCTOBER 21st, 1940. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 228, 21 October 1940, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, OCTOBER 21st, 1940. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

SATISFACTION will be felt that, instead of being rushed, through the House, further opportunity is to be given to the second reading of the Small Farms Amendment Bill. It is a measure that might become excessively drastic in its application, and as such deserves the closest attention, anci the giving of a general outline of the scheme of settlethat is to be followed. If land is to be taken compulsorily the community has a right to know for what it is being acquired. We know that the freehold is to be withheld, and that soldier settlers are to be eligible to receive only leases under the legislation. That is not unexpected; but occupiers under the small farms scheme have these many years been eligible to receive leases, and up to the present time the number of those granted, except where this action was taken under agreement with the Waikato Land Development Society after the taking over of that society's land, have been few and far between. With this as the only experience to guide us as to the availability of the leases, it seems only reasonable that- the Minister of Lands, should make a statement as to the procedure under which the leases will be granted to ex-servicemen, give the details concerning the intended probationary of supervision periods to be- served by the prospective lessors, and give an assurance that finance will be available on satisfactory terms. Considerable difference of opinion must inevitably occur on the question of whether compulsion in the taking of land is necessary. There are arguments for both sides. After the last war 9665 returned soldiers were settled on. the land, but it must not be forgotten at that time farming was Very profitable, whilst the Arbitration Court was holding dpwn the level of wages. The boot is likely to be on the other foot after this conflict, and though the demand for an open-air life among returned men should not be forgotten, there stills seems likely to be a lesser demand among those men to take up farming. If this is to be so, the 130, 000 acres at present being administered by the Small Farms Board would surely provide a fairly substantial beginning to the scheme of settlement, whilst there do exist new areas that, with recent revolutions in farming practice, would, profitably be brought under such a scheme. Over and above this, compulsion may be necessary, but in all fairness to the existing farmer that compulsion will have to be handled with great discretion.Considerable criticism is aroused by the clause which apparently includes provision for taking over of the farmer's property, the clause in question reading, 'The owner or occupier is given the right to object within forty days if only part of his land is taken, on the grounds that the remainder is insufficient for the reasonable, requirements of himself and family. Such a move would, where a man was farming the property in a reasonably efficient manner, be a traversity of justice, and a declaration should be immediately sought that in no case where a reasonable attempt is being made to farm a property should the Court consider the agreeing to the taking over of the whole area. Where the owner is not actively farming the area concerned, of course, would be considered to fcs on a very different basis.