CROWN TENANTS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 September 1932, Page 8

CROWN TENANTS

• REDUCED RENTALS PROBABLE. • ;great benefit for settlers. ASHBURTON, September 14. :. Crown .tenants in the Ashburton .district will probably receive large reductions in rentals after the meeting of. Land Board. Every CryW-nj-settlement jn Canterbury, fortypne".alt told, has been inspected during recent .monthe by officers of the Dq-minioiiy-ljand Boat'd ahd the board’s recommendations will come before the Canterbury. Board on Friday., It is urijdeystoqd that the reductions; are, of a eubstahtiat nature and are much larger than the statutory reduction made in cases,yof. private property. .... - A hint, of this was given,.to-night,to 'k deputation of soldier settlers which Waited on the -Horn. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Lands. , . - ..„ j; . . The, deputation asked for revaluation ef theift; properties based., op the returns ipf sthe last twelve years; a relic w budgeting system, ,under Which, cit lis alleged hardship is being Juffered ;. and the wiping off qf.arrears qf rents which have beep : ,allowed to stand 'jojver since the 1922 elump. • , main plea was t,hat they should, be put on a definite., basis,so that they might knew where they stood,, T ; . . ;;>> • Replying to the request for revaluation the .'Minister said a time of exoessiye depression was not a time for revaluation (of a ’.national . asset. The budget system was to try, to help settlers, for it was better to have men on , the farms than on relie 1 work. The l-'jss the (amount of 'living expenses budgeted ■ for the better the chance a man had of recovering. - “I strongly regent .the statement that 1 .prowto ttenants are working for Jthe ijenefit ol the Government,’’-.said . Mr Ransom, “They are working for t-hem-•wives 'find thgi-r families, If a man feels he is , working , for fiinself my advice is...to: get out and foir himselt. - 1 want you to,,fee’ 4% ; here to help you* , and ' ydh arid to try to make- life better and ; happier.” 1; 1 . t .>•''JV V'Wh'qri the deputation was putting iff ’ bairnsbefoie the Mfn.ifetei 1 , an assertiori, was, made that • the Deprirtriient - had not been thrifty-; and giving,. nq_h?ip; m tho ~> lifted to pay their way. j V'Replying ,to thi« statement, the Minsaid that ho ;h id Admitted; it,, but the problem wa-s.’a difficult one". Some meb -, were' ''able to grit ttfS'fe ’ out of theft others, and He did , pot th’ibk- Any should be put out if if Was- prissib’fo' to keep 'them "biT' their;' ; farms.' v : ! . ■ ; vW ffi Copnolly, M.P., wlib introduc--1 rid.'ithe' deputatiori, said' that practically •-all the-i mophy 1 spent oV i scHtier settle-ment?-Whs raised in New , Zealand, and not' borrowed from overistehs. It, mostly y-as ; Vat-time - surplus. ‘Nowhbte - l'n !New Zealand -were farms better cu’ti'yated; than by the soldier settlers of Goyecnment js-houjd d 6 whs to give ifipsej,.men something tp hope fbt, and fiot. merely defer the day of reckoning ; for a year or two. The position must hb 'fttcbd " aponer r oir„, lat'er. ,i It. ; .must -betecibgniSed that special difiSculties wei-o Associated with soldier 'settlements, be£affi<e the -laqd, was , ''.bpught at . peak pjf'iijns. He suggested • that valuation ihofild be based on the -returns for the past- 1 twelve- years. I Mr Ransom said that £7,000,000 alyeady had been ; written off eoldier settlements, |nd some of the > worst ecc-. imples of high pr.ices.,Were tP bp found where men had selected the blocks theriiselves. Private mortgagees had beeri. liberal in their treatment of mortgagors, and he believed that they mostly took theit lead .from the Department. : The Minister hnnoririced., that postponed rents for 1923-24 would be written,; off. .... .‘ A request that i the Isle worth Settlement should be divided into bigger Holdings was made to the Minister, who promised to look into the question.