THE MAN ON THE LAND.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 727, 28 January 1910, Page 4

THE MAN ON THE LAND.

« : COMMISSIONER 'OIKCBOWN. LANDS . ON Tt)UR. ; i'i.'Ai yesterday's meeting-,of, the .Welling-- ■ ton • Land: : 'Board'.7.th6,'Commissioner' of ■ , Crown Lands (Mr. iJhsi Mackenzie)' ffr- ■ ported, that since the. last meeting-of the board lie had visited the settlements in, the, . :fongaroa,.Moknri,i<ndAkitiodistiijtS/ttc.' and; ,ivas very-much. pleased;with, " the ! progress made in these localities. '.Gener- ; .aUy; L speaking, ,:the , Croivn/,tenants, were ■ in good heart, ; and' the .country and stack • looßng, ..well.;Grass, was abundant,: not-: . : withstanding; the' dry-, seasonv while- wools and 6tock' wero both'at'.payable rates.'- ■, :;'Tho ./Commissioner-; madfc :; : speciali:in- v quiry. into the question, ;.ofv' aggregation. . :.that. Kadi taken placo in-.tho . -districts,; inspected,' ' and,, although . for , .various reasons: (the, chief one -being Itliat a number of -.original holdings /were low; .what,; might /' be ; termed ; a '.living area,'r patticularly{; in .the .'purely sheep', i country); ..a' inumber of > settlers;'had; sold out'to, those'of: their neighbours who 1 we're' - iii ; a position.: to 'bur, and;, still the district might bo said to bo entirely' witli- ': out; large;holdihgß; so.';far as . Crown- tenants were concerned, and well within .the ' limits of the Land Act. ; -/-'' < ' v.The Commissioner; reported having made i a careful' inspection/of. certain -lands that' ■ had'beeri-kept/.b'ack-.from sale, amounting ■ in area to; about, 5500 acres,; and recom- ■ mendedi-.that, after; full 'provision, 'had; 1 been : scenic, milling, and'.'cli- ' ; matic: purposes,/.say,',: about •; 1700 .' . acres ! ffiould, 'ba * op"encd::;for ' : not, : however;''at.first, 'for public'competition; 1 but : disposed; of . under optional tenure;, to those i settlers ~'whom-, the Aboard; might ' ;considqr:.:had'vnot-:'iiow;-,'ahything..like sufficient". area ■ 'in ■ eucli far; .backV locali- , ties'to-maintain >their-families' without a 1 ih'ard.tißtrnggfo". . '/iiThia' ; would' .applyi'-to' settlers/holding- areas' ,of. 200 . acres and • under, /which,, although ■ fair land, is, under .present-/circumstances' ' and , ' surroundings, chiefly only/fit .for,:sh'eep.v This .will'; mean. the v str engthening'. of: those. who have stuck ;to -their: small: holdings,'often : -under'; conditions, 'for,; nothwith- . standing, that now; accesses iniproved; at least ' to; the: extent;yof. good.: summer' roads,' they aro still from 20 to 40 miles , back from- the' railway. ; ■. There ' is no'doubt; - the .Commissioner . adds,that' a greatfuture,-'-'is /in/ store . for ;..this'.: country./ in'-another; ten-.', years' time.-- ; : When .the'/logs iand stumps-, disappear,.'Siid .better/roads'are',niaide,quitd . a - third of the,area.could -.boused' for dairy-: ..ing.| : .one / huhdred-fold;. toivtax •'themselves,' for . m'etaUingv'oiUyi;-:ih.,; l i I the,. dairy.,': 'country, -which -would dciuble .:th6 length : of; their milking season..' In-many instances.: this starts inDecember: and' ends, in March', instead of, as'; it. might,,'extending • from August/until May.;', /However,;' this*,;isf a' matter, that ,will' 'right itself' in , time;; in fact./it will ,force- itself 'on settlers as the land gets , cleaned up. : • The . Conimissioner:; stated . that; he'.had ' made a careful inspection-, of; the rest 'of the land left open: for settlement,;and had: also .studied 'the wants of the people. He had looked: for : aggregations-: of . land, but did not:,find/any/save- onei' or .two' big 'holdings of - sheep country; .400 -.to: 500 acres in extent;-'but, not. more; than.anyoue could, make::a.;decent living- out- of.. There: we're others «•who were: struggling:-, the man with 200 acres or even-250 acres •-of indifferent land. • Those lands-: that were atill. available for settlement wouldbe offered to some. of these people on : easy 'terms.; : Of course,: the board would see that settlers-.; did I not part 'with their lands, which should' bejield with the homestead'lands, ;as . they'did not wish to see such- lands .get into the: hand£ 6f the speculator. " . •' .- -/.:'- -' '/;..-/