100,000 ACRES OF UNDEVELOPED LAND IN COUNTY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 1, 29 September 1948, Page 5

100,000 ACRES OF UNDEVELOPED LAND IN COUNTY

v Council’s Ideas \ pn Development Accortu' n§ ' to Whakatane County Cow ncil ’ s estimate, prepared for the formation of the Lands and Surv&» v Department, there is in the Whakatane County Council at l® 0 * 00 ® acres of land easy tl* suitable for immediate' ment. General discussion from the tabling of a report on undeveloped land brought 4>ut the fact that most Councillors felt that the land could be better developed by private enterprise, than through State schemes. It was estimated that in the Muru-pada-Te Whaiti district, there were 14,000 to 19,000 acres in three separate blocks suitable for development and there would be no complications in regard to road access except for a 6,000 acre block at Weao River (the Galatea ’ Estate was not included in that acreage).

South of the Tarawera River and between Mt. Tarawera and Rangitaiki River there were,4o,ooo tQ 50,000 acres principally Crown and Native land suitable for ment. Most of this country appeared to be rolling country which could be easily roaded. Also,, west of the Whakatane River there were 12,000. to 15,00;) of Crown and Native land suitable for development. This country extended from Mr Luke’s farm cx>. the Rangitaiki River to Ruatoki and to Mr Sisam’s property on' the east. All the lands in question would require to be inspected but it would appear that in the Whakatane County there were at least 100,000 acres of land, easy to road and suitable for immediate development. The Depararrient is to be advised accordingly, and also that, suitable for immediate development there are between 12,000 and 15,000 acres at Pikowai.

I Cr W. Hunter suggested the way to tackle thd development problem would be to allow young men to take up blocks of the land rent-free and rate-free for the first few years : to give them a chance under today’s I high costs. Youngsters who had | missed war service might also be l given a .chance. I Cr L. W. Luxton agreed. Costs 1 today were high, but he felt private enterprise could get the job done more economically than the way the Lands Department was doing it today. In his opinion what was ruining land development today 'was that excessive cost. There was further support from Cr A. F. McGougan, who said the system Crs Hunter and Luxton advocated had. proved itself in the past, and in this district. Crs R. C. Leslie and D.' C. Butler claimed tliefe was a case, not only for land rent-free and rate-free for 'the first few years, but they felt there should also be special tax relief for men breaking in new country. The Department is to be irivited to send officers to inspect ’the district.