MORE PRODUCTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 118, 15 November 1939, Page 6

MORE PRODUCTION

CLEARING OF LAND

STATE AID FOR OWNERS

Under the 4B scheme the Government was employing at present approximately 3800 men on the clearing and draining of privately-owned land all over New Zealand, said the Minister of Labour (the Hon. P. C. Webb) last evening/Employment on the same class of work had been arranged for an additional 1500 men. Most, of these men had been taken from scheme 13 and from Public Works. .The work, said Mr., Webb, was carried out on a contract basis, the Government contributing 75 per cent, of the wages cost. Accommodation was being provided in many cases by the financial institutions that had mortgages on the property involved. While the mortgages held by these concerns were more safely secured because of the improvements made, the farmer was at the same time establishing a greater equity in his pi*operty.\ M^ch' of the land that had already been cleared - and drained was now under production. BENEFIT OF MACHINERY. Referring to the use v of machinery for clearing land, the Minister said that when in Westport recently he had seen where two bulldozers had cleared between Friday'morning and Saturday midday 20 acres of scrub, broom, and blackberry. The bulldozers ywere worked on the. Friday in two shifts, extending from 4 a.m. to sunset, two men being employed each shift. On the Monday the land was disced and planted in grass, turnips, and other root crops. The ' owner of the land had stated that he would have a giood crop early in the New. Year. Many farms had been cleared up that had been lying almost unproductive,. and it was now claimed that similar land that had been cleared was carrying. one'Cow;to,the,>acre.y, : >.*:* : -yy X-.y. "Judging^ by;, thei 7re^tiestS ywe 7have received from farmers for the use on, a contract basis of these Troachines for clearing land, it will be a .considerable time before 'the present demand is met," said. Mr. Webb.' "In view of the applications coming in for both machines and 4B men, there is no reason why anything up/ to; 10,000 men could not/be 7 prbfitably.; employed oh such7wprkiyr^emen^ndw,* engaged in | landKcieS^tig7.<^k v uttbte^ ;tbJs scheme j do7npt iric^e;^ I ing; and• -brihgingyiri7 ; latfd/7uiider :tHe;? Department of 'Lands.' On the whole, 1 the men jiave made good wages, but I they have? had to ''-work: ;hard for it*."