BIG ESTATES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 245, 9 July 1908, Page 7

BIG ESTATES.

VICTORIAN MINISTER TALKS OF ~ I3URSTING-UP. ' (BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.) Melbourne, July 8. ~ The State Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Swinhurno), referring to the heavy fallingoff in the export of agriroltural. products, said that no doubt the time was rapidly arriving when a policy which would break up' big estates for agricultural purposes must bo adopted. A PROGRAMME INTERESTING'AND VARIED. . An important feature of the programme for tho present session of the Victorian- Parliament, opened on July 2.by' the retiring- State Governor, Sir Reginald Talbot, is contained in certain'proposals in-the direction of stimulating land settlement. Our: Australian correspondent writes under date July 4-.--Bills are to be introduced to authorise the construction of various light railways, 60 that a vast., area of unoccupied Crown lands may be settled',upon. ' For 6ome timo the Victorian Government has had under consideration two important railway projects—one for a line from Ouyen, on tho Mildura line, towards Pinnaroo, a South Australian railway terminus, noar tho border,' and the other an extension of the Ultima line through Eureka, and on towards Eiiston, on the Murray. ; It is estimated, by Sir Thomas Bent that by.tho construction of the first of these lines an area : of 1,000,000 acres of land, now hold in large grazing blocks, will he rendered available for wheat-growing, whilst it js considered that along tho route of, the TJltinia extension it will be'possible to devote 120,000 acres to settlement. The question of constructing a lino from Bairnsdalo. to Bruthen and Orbost, and on to the New South Wales border, to open up other large areas, was referred not long, ago _to the Railways Standing Committoe, and it is expected that a sufficient length of railway will bo laid during -the next' three years to permit several thousand/acres of good land to be. made available. Coincidently with this policy, the' Government, has begun the extensive resumption of private lands. Already nearly 200,000 acres, exclusive of .the land used for workmen's homes, have been acquired in- this way at .a cost of about . .£1,500,000 'since the Act- came into operation; and the Governor's speech' on. Thursday indicated that fuller powers ai'e to bo asked of Parliament for the resumption of private lands. Irrigation works have been carried on likewise upon such a large scalo in Victoria that the valuable systom of water distribution in operation in that State has been tho envy for many years of other parts of the Commonwealth. Tho Bent Ministry has continued the policy of its predecessors, so well in this respect that a sum of about ,£400,000 per annum is being spent on new irrigation works. At the present time tho irrigation of 8000 acres of the Werribeo Estate, at a cost of .£114,000, is being -, proceeded with. '. About 5000 acres of irrigatod land at White Cliffs, six miles beyond Mildura, are being prepared for settlement, and works for the irrigation of 2000 acres at Nyah, about fifteen miles from Swan Hill, in tho north-west' of the State, haT'o been started. The Governor's speech' announces that a reservoir is to be established on' tho Goulburn River, so that about. 000,000 acres may be irrigated; Tho operation of tho Small Holdings Act is another phaso 'of the work of -land settlement in Victoria which invites attention. During tho last twelve months about 250 people havo been placed on land under this Act,, .under which men who havo no means aro given JE2OO worth of land and a wage of- .£1 per week for tho first six months, 15s. per week for the second six months, and 10s. per week for the third six months, and may he assisted by advances for the purchase of stock and for effecting improvements ■to tho amount of .£l5O. This mode of settlement is to be gradually extended, so that within tho next two years, it is hoped, 500 additional families may bo settled in this way.