LAND SETTLEMENT SCHEME OBJECTED TO BY FARMERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 61, 7 March 1949, Page 5

LAND SETTLEMENT SCHEME OBJECTED TO BY FARMERS

Opposition to the efforts of i "the Government to dispossess farmers of their land for rehabilitation purposes while so much Crown and Maori land lay waiting to be developed was championed by Mr W. N. Perry, Dominion president of Federated Farmers, at Edgecumbe on Thursday night. He called upon all farmers to watch their lands and to let the Federation know if they received a notice to give up any portion of their farms. Describing the Lands Settlement •scheme as a ’’confiscation of land,” Mr Perry said that to his mind it was unfair that any farmer should have to lose land by Government confiscation. “We should tell the Government in no uncertain terms to leave well managed and good farmed land alone while there is so much Maori and Crown land only half developed or not developed at all,” he declared. Drop In Production i In many cases well managed and developed farms were being taken and men,who were not good farmers ’being placed on them. This is not good for the land and could only mean a drop in production.' Mr Perry said farmers had often been accused of not wanting to help the returned serviceman. This was not 'so but the federation objected to farmers, some of whom were returned men from the First World War, having to give up land' which, in many cases, they had broken in themselves to good farming country, to some other person. Farmers wanted to help the rehabilitation of ex-servicemen but farming was a 'business. Other businesses were not taken if the owners were not conducting it efficiently and there was ho reason why the farmer should have to give up his business. While not mentioning any names Mr Perry alleged that some owners of heavy holdings, who were known' .supporters of the Government, had escaped and their land untouched when neighbouring farms, had been taken. It was against all democratic •principles that one part of the community should be liable to confiscation v/hile another escapes because of its support of the Government. “We will have to tell the Government to leave farms alone,” he said. Action To Be Taken Mr Perry was asked what action the federation intended to take in' the matter. Replying, he said that the Dominion Council had set up a land com- I mittee to watch- what was happen- ! ing. Now that it was law it was a I difficult question to handle but in j ■some cases where farmers had let j the federation know before hand it j had been able to step the land be- j ing taken. ; “The only advice I can give farmers who receive notice that j their land is to be taken is for them to let the Federation know j immediately. Agree to nothing j and sign nothing until they hear j from the Federation,” he con- | eluded.

The United States exported 13,000 j fewer cars during the first five j months 6f 1948 than in the sain-- ‘ period of 1947, says the Financial Times. Canada, India, and many other countries have tightly ration- | ed dollars for buying American i cars. j