DETERIORATED LANDS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1928, Page 1

DETERIORATED LANDS

REVALUATION AND TOPDRESSING. WELLINGTON, Feb. 22. I lie Alinister of Agriculture, t Hon O. ,J. Hinvkon, lias returned V> ellington after inspection, in coi pun.v with the Minister of Lands, tl Hon A. I). APLeod, of a large an of deteriorated lands in Raglan ai Knwliin Counties. These areas a typical of hundreds of thousands acres in the centre of the* North f hind, which have gone back into sc end growth and constitute a proble which the Government is endeavouriu to solve. Air Hawken, when asked for h impressions, declared frankly tin when the original capital value of tli land was added to the cost of breal ing it in the total was much moi than the land is at present wortl •‘Conse(|Ucntly.” he continued, “a cei tain amount of capital value must b written off. though a great deal hr been done in that way already. Th process of depletion is still going or and will proceed until this land read es that price which will enable th farmer to work it." IMPROVED PROSPECTS. "Of course, ’’ continued the Minis ter, ‘‘improved prices for stock, par licularly sheep and store cattle, hav been a great help to the settlers, am they undoubtedly are feeling in mor cheerful mood than they have beei for some time. The sound eonditioi of the store cattle market will be i very great help to the settlers on tlii rough country. There is no doub that throughout, this country, in fac all tlie parts I visited, it is absolute!.) necessary to keep on the land a con siderahlc proportion of cattle amon« the live stock, as they keep dowi fern. It was very noticeable that ii a great deal of this country scrum growth and rubbish has increased owing to the absence of sufficient cattle I think there is only one possible wa\ of bringing this land back into ; proper state, 'that is by llie use ol top dressing. The land responds tc fertilisers, but the difficulty of settleis has been their lack of a sufficient margin over expenses to provide money for this necessary improvement. "A good deal of this deteriorated land can he brought hack by the use of fertilisers, A great deal will he tanned again, hut. only by men who understand it. Some is being taken up now, Imf on very different terms from the past. The great hulk is Crown land, though then' is some Native land in the deteriorated area.” The Minister suggested that the tremendous advance in road facilities during the last six years was another favourable factor in the situation. This was due to the altered method of maintaining and building roads which the Highways Hoard policy had introduced.