Unimproved Lands.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 July 1922, Page 4

Unimproved Lands.

STATEMENT BY MINISTER Ol' LANDS.

WELLINGTON. June 28 The Minister of Lands disputes the accuracy of sonic of the fighres issued by the Forest Service “Newsletter” with reference to the area of unimproved land in New Zealand, fit the course of his statement he denies that the area of land available for development is nearly as large as has been suggested. “The figures used by the 'Newsletter,’ ” says the Hon D. 11. Guthrie, “are decidedly misleading, some explanation is made. The statement is that of 18,540,757 acres of unoccupied land, only 18,159,829 acres have been improved, the balance being classed as unimproved. The figures arc not those of the Lands Department, hut are collected from tile Government Statistician's Department, and are accepted as official. Ihlt they take no account of the very large area of occupied laud in the Dominion that is of such a character as to he ‘unimprovable.’ ” After describing the areas of “unimproved” land in various parts of t.he Dominion, the Minister says: “The forestry official who commented on these figures admitted that a large portion of unimproved land is incapable of being brought to a highly productive state, hut in the desire to

‘boost’ his particular Department he is neither fair nor just to the officials 'of the Lands Department who, for 1 years past, have turned their attention to the better development of the land in the interests of production.”