THE LAND BOARD AND CLOSER SETTLEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1434, 8 May 1912, Page 4

THE LAND BOARD AND CLOSER SETTLEMENT.

Sir,—Will-you kindly inform me, and also your many readers, if it i> trim the Land Hoard are about lo cut up one or two small grazing runs in tln< vicinity of Alfredton? 1 am informed that tho?o present owners or oc-cupie'.s took llticountry when in iU virgin state, and that was when tho moans of transit in New Zealand were by no means what they aro to-day. I am also informed that these

peoplo get compensation for iinprovomonls, but what is this in these times? For 1 am certain thaf one cannot effect tin* shiul' iinprovi'mciits tn-day for tho .same niuhoy, as one could twenty yearn as;.), oi' even ten years ogo. On the f«co of tliis tliere are thousands upon iliou. sands of acres of unoccupied laud lying idle to-day all for tlie want of closer settlemoiit. 'L'his little piece of work of the 1 .and Hoard docs not appeal to me at all. It would be interesting to know if these casus arc correct, which I hope yon will throw light on shortly. J should like to know what these present occupiers intend doing if the board do resume, as to remainim: in this "robbing I'eter to pay Paul" country. Thi*i class of land seltleincnt is no Rood, in the faea of the undeveloped land in New Zealand. It would be right, enough if all the wasto lands were settled. I noticed a correspondent writing in your Monday's i-sue, stating that:the Premier is a freeholder. Should this case be true, he is not a freeholder, for it is only a case of bluff, his saying he is a freeholder.—l am, etc., ■FARMER.