SETTLEMENT OF LAND

Hokitika Guardian, 7 November 1930, Page 8

SETTLEMENT OF LAND

DEVELOPAIENTA L WORK

(EXPENDITURE AUTI lOßi<Ei>.

WELLINGTON, Nov. 5

Steps are being taken by the Government 'to put into operation that part of the Land Laws Amendment Act of this year relating to development and settlement Cabinet dealt with the question to-day and the Act-ing-Prime AI mister announced this evening that a total of £34,000 had been authorised for developmental work upon several large blocks oi Crown land upon which settlei« are t r ' Ibe placed, or upon which they are already installed.

It has ‘been decided to push ahead with the loading and survey of the Mohakau block of 10,040 acres, south of Wairoa, and Cabinet to-day authorised the expenditure of £12,000 lor tlvs work. This will lie carried out preparatory to the block being thro an open for settlement, but the form of actual development has not vet been decided. In addition, Cabinet authorised a sum of £IO,OOO to he spent upon both notions of the Ngakuru ulock, ill the Rotorua district, and £12,000 for the completion of the development oi le Kauwhata block, near Auckland. ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. Figures mada available by the Lands Department show the activities of the State in making advances to settlers since the beginning ot the present year. The total amount advanced to date is £130,554. Loan applications made, undef one part of the Act numbered 155, their value being £77,959. Of those, the Land Board recommended 113, of the value °t £48,034, for favourable consideration, and the Development Board approved 110, of a total value of £42,934. Under another section of the Act, a totah of nineteen applications tor loans was received, the value of the is unis sought being £14,262. Tim Land Board recommended seventeen, the value of which was £8047, and the Development Board approved sixteen, valued at £7797. The total number ol applications was 174, of a value oi £‘98,221, and the number approved was 126, of a value if £50,734. In addition, authorisations totalling 79,820 were made for the development of unoccupied Crown land. 01 this, £69,055 was authorised for development of ordinary Crown lands, and the remainder, £10,765, was set aside for the development of settlement land.

Immediate Steps Lave been taken by the Government to put into effect the scheme for the extension of group settlement, the authorisation for which was contained in this year’s Act.