IDLE CROWN LANDS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 85, 26 September 1947, Page 3

IDLE CROWN LANDS

NEED FOR SUB-DIVISION

AREAS NEAR ROTORUA The necessity of subdividing Crown lands for closer settlement was stressed by Mr W. Sullivan (National, Bay of Plenty), speaking in the House of Representatives. In his electorate there was a great deal of Crown land that had been developed over a long period and it had reached a stage at which it should be subdivided for closer settlement, he said. Eighteen months ago the Minister of Lands had agreed that 600 acres of the Whirinaki block, out of Rotorua, had reached a stage in pasture at which it could be done without so far as the development of the remainder of the block was concerned. He had agreed that it had reached a stage at which it could be subdivided and made available for settlement. Increased production and the provision of more farm units could not be achieved merely by buying out already highly productive farms. It could be done, however, by making available for settlement such an area as that on the Whirinaki block and other areas fit for settlement in other parts of the country. In the Bay of Plenty there were enormous areas of Crown lands. He believed that the officers of the Department of Lands and Survey preferred to have those large areas used as big farming propositions, and he recognised that it was necessary to have some land that had already been brought up to a point of production in order to deal with the unproductive areas. However, there seemed to be some useful pasture in many of the areas which might well be used for subdivision and quick settlement. Further south there was the Mimi block, which had been highly developed, and there was still scope on Galatea. The land being developed by the Crown in the Bay of Plenty totalled, roughly, 96,000 acres, but that would'not touch the fringe of what was available in the southern Rotorua and Taupo areas. Mr Sullivan said he recognised that the Minister faced difficulties in having homes erected in those districts, but an appeal to builders and others interested might assist in having something done in the way of housing and he would ask the Minister to make an effort at least to get the Whirinaki block dealt with. Development of such areas and their quick settlement would assist in speeding up production as well as assisting returned servicemen to settle on the land.