OKURU DISTRICT.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 May 1922, Page 4

OKURU DISTRICT.

LAND FOR SETTLEMENT

• '| no Urn. .1. (1. Contes Minister for (■„! Ilf Works lies written Mr Soddmi M.I-. tlie fellow ing letter wliieli e.\j.laiiu itself: During my rceent visit to Okuru, Mr Cutlance made certain representations m me regarding the question of o ing up land at Oknrn under toe Homestead sysein. On my return to 11 union f duly reierred the niattei to iny colleague, the lion. Minister oi | ends. and now append hereto his reply in cunne.lion therewith: ‘■Referring to your ineinoranduin o. the tilth, ultimo advising that while cl OUuru hist inontli Mr Cuttanec as he., | whether there was any possiPtl.lv of obtaining land in that disti jet under the “Waste hands Development (Homestead) System,” I have to inform you that most of the land at Okuni which is at present suitable tor settlement is held by the settlers on freehold or Crown leasehold and used in large areas for grazing, cattle raising etc.

"To induce fresh settlement to enable a dairy factory to enable a dairy factory to be established, it was proposed by the owners of large areas to offer portions of their properties on lease or sub-lease with purchasing lights at end of term, hut this has not yet been dune by the landowne's interested, and unless there was sonicdefinite certainty of the factory being a success, it is doubtful whether there would he much response to such offers. “There are considerable areas of swamp and wet Grown lands now partly provisional State Forest in the vicinity, and if these were drained, they might make good farms, but I am of opinion that the drainage of these lands could only lie undertaken systematically as a whole and that it would be useless to offer sections with the idea of the individual selectors draining them. “I do not think that the lands at Oknrn are suitable for offering under The Waste J,anils Development System for the reasons stated and in any case owi-ng to the present financial stringency the question of opening lands under this system has had to be deferred and nothing can he done at present.”