LAND SETTLEMENT

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 232, 28 June 1944, Page 4

LAND SETTLEMENT

Rehabilitation Minister States Obstacles The Rehabilitation Department faced the same problems in land settlement as the average farmer, said the Minister of Rehabilitation, Major (Skinner, to the N.Z.RJS.A. Dominion council conference in Wellington yesterday. It could not get more than the stipulated quota of fertilizers to carry out land development, and was just holding its own, in this respect, on areas already developed. It had considerable areas awaiting development as labour and materials were available. Seldom could a block of land be bought ready for occupation. There would be much land available when the necessary piping for water supplies, and fencing, could be obtained. Seventy sets of homesteads, with all farm 'buildings, had recently been applied for by his department. Even though much of the material for the actual buildings would be made available there were still the labour problem and the shortage of certain items like plumbing materials. Major Skinner then gave an explanation why certain materials from overseas could not be, obtained at present, but he said he did not want this published.

He went on to say tiat conscientious objectors were being used to build homesteads? . . . A delegate: Defaulters! On one block, defaulters were being used exclusively to build 14 homesteads. He could see no objection to that. Progress was not as rapid as the rehabilitation authorities would like, but where land had been subdivided and men placed thereon, there had been almost 100 per cent, success. He knew of only two men having difficulty, and that was through inexperience. He could envisage an organization which would handle the matter more quickly, but not with the same degree of safety which now existed. There bad been 310 ex-servicemen settled on farms, none less in carrying canacity than 40 to 45 cows or 700 to 10(10 ewes. The response from farmers to the Government’s offer to subsidize the wages of ex-servicemen whom it desired to train as fanners had been disappointing. It was his hope that eventually every ex-servicemen should do a short course at one of the agricultural colleges' at the end of his farm training. With the present college facilities this was impossible. . ... There had been some criticism of his holding the portfolio of lauds, and the commissionership of forestry,; but this was going to 'be of great assistance to him in bis post as Minister of Rehabilitation. Land was inseparably linked with rehabilitation. Forestry might also be of tremendous help. There might be difficulty in getting supplies for some time, which would delay the reinstatement of men in industry. Then it might be necessary to develop big forestry schemes and open up big forestry camps where men could be absorbed temporarily. There was also a big public works programme which could employ large numbers.