CROWN LANDS REPORT.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 December 1918, Page 1

CROWN LANDS REPORT.

Mr T 1 ion)as Brook, Commissionei of Crown Lands lor "Westland, in his annual report says:— . I Weather conditions during the past year have been ex optionally favourable for farming operations, and all liokleis oi lands'wiiieh have reached a state oi prolit have had a very successful veai. Bush lands in this district cannot he brought under pasture as quickly as in the drier parts of the Dominion, and the 'scarcity of labour and high cost of materials having increased tlie difficulties of development, no great improvement can be looked for until the return o I more favourabo conditions. At presell farmers cannot obtain labour tor bushfelling, all such being readily absorbed by the sawmilling industry. I A large number of farmers are engaged almost wholly in raising and fattening beef-cattle. By introducing firstclass breeding-stock they have raised I their herds to a high standard, and ox--1 perienced farmers from other districts speak' well of the quality of the fat ' stock produced. A large proportion oi this is now disposed of in •Christchurch, 'and ns tho completion of the Otira ! Tunnel will greatly facilitate transport, I the progress of the work is being veiy 1 closely watched, and already there lias been' a considornjble increase in. the number of inquiries for land from residents of other districts. _ Much of the land which is suitable for settlement contains valuable timber ami cannot be made available to the farmer until the sawmiller has passed on. Inquiries from discharged soldiers |„rc increasing, and their requirements ! will probably account for nearly all the land that can be opened for selection j Two licenses to produce agricultural I lime from limestone deposits near Boss !were granted by the Land Board during the year. The development of one of these is under way. the formation of a road to give access thereto being neatly completed, and the erection of plant m 1 The high prices now obtainable, tor New Zealand hemp have resulted in a revival of the industry, and mills wlucli were idle for some time have resumed operations. If the necessary shipping space ca n be seen red. the next >eai should show a large increase in the output. A mining venture which is considerable interest as affecting land settlement is under way in the Arahura Valley. A special claim, has been taken up and an adjoining area of freehold land purchased for the purpose of dredging for gold, and the company intends to adopt a special method ol working by which the top soil will be deposited on the surface of the worked ground. The destruction of good agricultural land bv mining has been stronglv condemned in some quarters, and it is hoped that this attempt to overcome the difficulty will prove successful The two settlements in Westland— Poerua and Kokafahi—-are old-establish-ed ones, and the settlers, most of whom are engaged in dairy farming, are more than satisfied with their holdings. The creamery at Poerua closed down during the year, and home separators are now in use,, the cream being railed to the factories at Greymouth and' Cronadun.