LAND SETTLEMENT
REVIEW OF FIGURES
PROGRESS LEAGUE WRITES OF AGGREGATION
FACTS FOR THE MINISTER
On behalf of the Central Progress League, Mr. G. Mitchell, M.P., has gone into the figures rer lating to land settlement given in the Gazette, and as these figures apparently showed a very unsatisfactory position in the case of some land districts and that land aggregation had been very prevalent, he thought it right to submit them to the Minister of Lands He asked the Minister to have these figures looked over, and to let him know if they were approximately correct; also If these lost holdings had been lost through aggregation, or what had become of them. The Minister acknowledged receipt of the letter, but as no reply to it has reached the executive of the league, copies have been handed to tho Press for publication. "Closer settlement of the land,” states the letter, "is our greatest assurance a* internal and external peace and prosperity. Increasing our population without the proportional increase in the holding of the soil is a policy which must prove disastrous to constitutional reform and progress. The blessing of closer settlement is evident in every sub-division of suitable land. It is a foremost plank in the policy of every party. The present Government has spent many millions this last few years in its endeavour to carry it out. We realise also that the quickest and soundest way to develop our centre Is to develop the country and the trade which feeds it. It is, therefore, necessary at tinier to review closely the actual progress which we are making. To that end I have gone carefully into the figures available and submit the following statement, which, I believe, will be very disappointing to the whole community. The comparison is made with the year 1916, it being the first year th« information was published.” The writer, by taking the holdings in 1916 and adding the number of soldiers •settled on subdivided estates and Crown lands since that date, produces a table which shows the gains and losses in holdings in the various land districts. This table shows the following gains in holdings ■ during that period :—Auckland land district, 1353; Nelson, 211; Westland. 67; Southland. 227; total gams, 1858. I/<wahs in holdings: Hawke’s Bay land district, 43; Taranaki, 139; Wellington. 404: Marlborough, 60; Canterbury. 426; Otago, 280; total losses 1352. In the districts in which gains have been made the league’s figures show that 923 new holdings have been created for sol-dier-settlers, and that, in the districts where there have been losses, 1540 new holdings have been created for this purpose. •‘The 1540 soldiers shown as having been settled in these districts are those who have been settled on Crown lands or subdivided estates. There are many others who have been put on subdivided estates by private holders of land. There have also been many hundreds of private Rubdivieon sales by people anxious to benefit by boom prices. The number of new holdings created is, therefore, much greater than the 1540 shown. The cost of each holding is about £3OOO, so while the country was spending £4,620,000 to create 1840 new holdings, we were losing others at the same rate, and are no further ahead than in 1916. What has become of them? Have they been mopped up by the aggregator blight, or where have they gone? d' Area Presumably Aggregated. "Taking this loss in holdings and working out the average area in acres held by each, we find the amount of land aggregated to the fewer holdings left:—
"It will be seen, therefore, that we have lost 882,510 acres in 1352 holdings in the above land districts during these last four rears without allowing for all the private and other sub-divisions which have taken place.” . With the breakmg-up cf large estateand the settling of Crown lands the writer savs one would naturally look for a general decrease in the size of holdings, but he produces a table to show the number of holdings and the avenige increase, in the size of each since 1916, and the total area represented. Ihis shows the total area a Rg as 1,320,532 acres, some of the outtotancing counties being: Mongonin, 2i,.6a acres; Bay of Islands, 29 070; Rotorua, 56,448; Waiokohu, 18,< - , Patea, 16.385; Wanganui, 15,800; Pahlahia 12.516; Akitio, 31,850; Wairarapa South, 11.830; Takaka, 13,440; Murchison, 22 388; Kaikoura, G 4,965; 5i,/ , Wtinawa 21,120; Eyre, 15,402; Malvern, 68,392; Ashburton, W.7211; 40 GOO- Waimate, 2G.150; M aitaki, 81,000, 36,975’; Tuapeka 36 975: Bruce, 20,450; Lake, 364,206; Mallace, 63,898. Wellington Land District. “It will be seen, therefore, that unless there is some other way of accounting for the increase in the size of hold ’ n P s ‘ if these figures are correct L 320.53acres have been aggregated throughout the Dominion during the. four years under review. Further analysing the fimires for the Wellington land district we find the counties where this loss in holdings has taken place. The table shows the loss each year in comparison with the preceding year: —
“These are the actual losses each year. Numbers of soldiers have been settled in some of the counties during that periodl, which would make the figures look very much worse were they available. By a separate return we find the following inorease in the number of holdings and areas between 1911 and 1919 :—
“This shows that while wo have increased the small holdings since 1911 by 1,434,148 acres, we have increased the large ones by 4,402,267 acres. After a careful investigation, I am forced to the conclusion that wo have lost a minimum of 1500 holdings, totalling nearly 1,500,000 acres, during this last TSrtT years by aggregation. If so, this bT!*ht is destroying the very foundations of our country’s security. There are cases where some aggregation is necessary, but they are very exceptional and are more tlhan balanced twice over by the private subdi-
visions constantly taking place. Bad as these figures are, if correct, from a national point of view, they are bad indeed, from the point of view of some d ist ™ts. notably, Canterbury, Otago, and \\ el. lington, and call for serigtts by the districts concerned. On> the face of it, the only obvious conclusion is that the aggregator has mopped up holdings on one hand as fast as the at the cost of many millions, has created them on the other. . ■ • f counties 10 per cent, more people in the than in the boroughs, to-day the l»roug have 8 per cent, more than the counties. Stage of Stagnation. "Although the figures prove that ' the increase of holdings in our distinct has almost reached a stage of stagnation, the possibilities of settlement are greate th in any other centre. There are no hg ures available to show the actual arc of first and second-class land, but improved value shows that, th ® smaller aroa by 7000 square.miles, uo have a great area of v^ b ’j, x consequently the greater possibilities closer settlement and intensive cultna U 'a table is given in which the> elb ”£ ton district, taken from Auckland pw oi\ c 8 gSFS.’Sr.: means a top-heavy c ° nimu ” -p r ii ne pregnant with many danger, lhe Prime Minister’s increase in taxation last seesion together with the falling markets, will stop aggregation for the[ as soon as la nd values oorne tack ana some people are forced to sol at ings at cheap prices, the . j work again with renewed life and g_ our. It can be eradicated. Do the courage to do it?”
Holdings Average lost area each 1916-20. holding. Area in each holding. TTnwVn’q "Rn,V ... 43 735 31,605 159 271 37,669 Wellington Marlborough ... 404 60 426 441 1285 642 178,164 77,100 273,492 Otago 280 1016 284,480 Total 1352 4390 882,510
Loss in Holdings. Total Loss. 1918. 1919. 1920*. Wajtotara — 12 i 12 3 Wanganui 6 Waimnrino Pangitikci 24 58 26 J08 32 Kiwitea 7 Pohnngina — 5 Kairanga 29 Oroua P.9 39 Horowhenua Pahiatua Akitio 39 27 11 17 5 8 15 52 31 j Castlcnoint 2 Ekctahuna 26 6 5 Wairarapa South.. 1 11 13 25 Peatherston —— 3 ■pTntt, -■ ■ Makara — — 6 6 Total 157 130 115 402
Increase in Increase in Size of holdings No. 1911 area 1911 Acres. to 1919. to 1919. 1 to 640 5073 1,434.143 641 to 5.000 1441 2,244,683 5001to 50,000 106 2.157.584 1547 4.402,267
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Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 146, 16 March 1921, Page 6
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1,395LAND SETTLEMENT Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 146, 16 March 1921, Page 6
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