LAND SEEKERS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1932, Page 3

LAND SEEKERS

OBSTACLES IN THEIR WAY

19 CHIEF LACK OF FINANCE:

OHRISTOHURCH, August 23. Lack of ea'sy\finance for the qjitrchase of stock and plant is proving the chief obstacle to the settlement 'on the land of a hjtuwber, of young mb'' 1 with moderate capital, according to Mr W. Stewart, Cbmmissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury; Mr IStewart said on Saturday that the regulations under the Land Laws Amendment Aict, passed last sdss oil, which were reeeritly gazetted and VfeW' | designed to facilitate closer land j me.nt, had not yet been applied itrCaii.terbury, and at present the Land Board was chiefly eoncerrtefl" with assisting those of its tenants who'wen having, a struggle to carry' oil. A’ though there was a fairly large’hunibe (if applicants for at the pfesmV’ time the board had put oiily; bight' 'or nine men on the land in' i thb past (six months. ; Some of the men who 'wore seek-' fng laild, said Mr Stewart, ’were of' ah ' dxeyßent type and were sufficiently sound i financially to wrfrtant;' ! lie'ipg given assitance, but the board did not have Hand available for theni'’aiidr was not in a position- to assist them' with finance' for improvements and the purchase of stdbk' ahd : . plant. A few years ago if vvas sufficient for, the Grown to prbvid'e'jJ'ah.d for new (settlers, as the stock firms /would assist them with finance for carrying : .on their farms,’ buf''just now the firmtk were not in a 1 position to give this' help. That, was why the new scheme for making advances for the, improvement of properties and the purchase of stock and plant had beeh Brought dowi; by the Goveynmerlt. ;

few abandoned /arms: .; !; “In Canterbury there/are. .no new areas available for closer' l ‘settlement and very few abandoned. I farms' are coming back to our hapds,*'kdid Mr Stewart. “We are giving our tenants every chance to carry-on,* ap'd at pffe-. sent we ‘five, properties available. We are allowing the tenant'to lemain on one of these and he is getting assistance from the ! Unemployment Board.”

Men who are keen to gist op the land and had a"' good knowledge of farming had had to be turned''' aiva-y by th’e board' because they did "' not have Sufficient capital to enable ,th'm to stock farms; Mf Stewart^sil'ii'l "Dairy-' ing offered tlie best opporiuhitifes at iiie -present timefand a man with £3Ol o r £4OO ba-pifal cpiild get a good start on a dairy farm: -One of the troubles in the part ' lyas 1 that men, took up grazing ruffs- whdft : 'thby had only sfff-1 ficienU .cffpita-P td‘ .fustify faking.,Jp|S • laitying." -WitK ; |hfebp farming ' V , expbnses.'had; 't6 r * l>e lncurted and.the returns effme in' about twi.ee. a. yea.f only. Dqiry farmers got their legnrariy, arid some of the factories were still prepared to grant finffnciail. assistance for the purchase of -stock, and ulant. . V '

DAIRY FARMING INCREASING. Dairy farming had tilbury in the past few years, lre.-Sai.dk One of the reasons for this Vvas that men who previously had riot 'been engaged in this class of farming had been compelled by circumstances to keep a few cows to provide themselves with a regular income for . meeting their household expenses. The .epws; involved extra work and tied the. men. to their farms, but they ..provided a steady income. . . . A good many adjustments, of .mortgages had taken place during the past year and in some cases mortgagers had: lost their money. Eyery endeavour was made/ however, to protect the-in-terests of the mortgagees where that could be done and. a good many transfers had taken place as a. result of action by the mortgagees, without the properties being forfeited to the. Crown. As a general rule the rentals charged by the Crown .were q}] right, but the lain] was loaded ■ . with, "other mortgages which, in many stances, proved too severe a burden for the- mortgagor to carry. Adhere it w'as. found that the".rentals were too high, they were reduced and the board had. remitted arrears of interest, in ' cases where the other mortgagees were adopting a reasonable attitude. ' > ;

“It is better to let .a., man stay on. a,-property than, to , push, him off,, especially if he has a family.’’ said Mr Stewart. “A nmnheir of . men. haye struggled along for the past two years in the hope of getting op their feet again and. it jg onily reasonable that they should, be given - a fair ehance of making gopd., r . .