SMALL FARMS SCHEIE

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 19 June 1933, Page 7

SMALL FARMS SCHEIE

LATE EDITION

DEVELOPMENT OF AREAS AID OF UNEMPLOYMENT BOARD. EXTENSIVE SCHEME OUTLINED. PROBABLE 20,000 ACRES SOON. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Juno 19, The immediate development ot approximately 8000 acres preparatory to settlement was ghven tentative approval at a recent meeting of the Small Farm Settlement Board! Within the next few months the hoard hopes to ljave at least 20,000 acres in hand, the present areas are situated in the viicmty of Te Kuiti, Hamilton, Rotorua, Da-rgaviue and. Kaitaia and the Unemployment Board has intimated to the Small Farms Board its willingness to consider proposals for establishing camps for unemployed in any locality to. undertake reconditioning of abandoned holdings subject to a mortgage to the State. ... The importance of these activities in relation to unemployment ,is stressed by the. Hon. A. Ransom, the Minister of Lands,- v/i>o explains that if the areas- were actually being settled they would • afford openings for between 140 and 150 men, out as the land was unimproved, and nad to.be prepared for settlement nearly double' .those numbers of •, men would -be taken out of the ranks'" of'i-he. unemployed and given work! in the way of -clearing,, stumping, reconditioning, road-making and fencing. The Minister said there was a strong demand for land under these conditions. '“lt is impossible to satisfy, the whole of the applications on hand,” he continued. “The applicants themselves can materially assist the organisation and development of the schemes by obtaining from private owners a right to lease a certain portion of their pro-m-ties.• If the applicants can obtain an option over a suitable area at a reasonable rental with . the right of purchase within a of . ten years such transaction would be investigated., immediately with a view to carrying out the development and ultimateN .taking off the unemployment register the men who had -been responsible for initiating the project.