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Hokitika Guardian, 30 May 1929, Page 4

With attention being turned to oportunities for more land setfc.enient in no district, tlie opening for an extension in that direction by utilising the La Fontaine swamp area at Inter-. Wanganui, might well be taken up. This is an area in regard to- which a very considerable sum has been spent in drainage, and a great improvement, must have been done. There was the uggestion a year or more ago, to use the area for' experimental purposes, but that was not proceeded with as far as we know. If. however, the land was considered by the authorities good enough for experimental ' work, it should he suitable for the general purposes of settlement. It can be served by a go’d road leading directly to a dairy factory, and for daily farming nurnoses should oner almost immediate facilities 'for occupation. There is not heavy or costly clearing, and with a short distance, of reading, the country should bo available for regular settlement. The area is Crown lands, and its closeness to a good settlement with lostal and educational facilities, make it an attractive proposition for new settlers. Mention of the utilisation of this swamp area reminds us of other swamp areas up and down the district. There is a considerable area of land involved in the category referred to. and it would be worth probing tlie .’alue of such areas if drainage were iraeticahle at q reasonable figure. It is understood that drove Swamp area, for instance, quite close to- Hokitika, has hpen found to he drainable at a reasonable cost, and a very considerable area of hitherto neglected land will l>e brought into use at no distant date by tlie owners of tlie area in question. This is another instance, and indicates the dormant value of much of our land ever adjacent to settled’ localities The utility of such areas might well be investigated which makes it all the more necessary that visits by responsible officers of the Lauds Department should lie more frequent than they are. There is a prejudice to West Cbast lands in many quarters, but time and results should be breaking down that opposition l . With the better means of access, the production is increasing rapidly as It is now possib'e to reach markets. Here where there is so much Crown land, values do not soar unduly, and production can he secured on more favourable economic lines. The land is cheaper hut the ratio of value on production is higher, and the settlers are reaping that advantage. Undoubtedly there is room for more settlement here, and it is for the authorities responsible in that direction to see that the facilities are open for the peonle to go on the available land of tlie district.