SETTLING THE BACKBLOCKS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 546, 1 March 1913, Page 3

SETTLING THE BACKBLOCKS.

STATE AIDED EXPERIMENT.

The story to date of an interesting departure in land settlement is told in a report which has just been furnished by the Lands- Department to the Hon. W. F. Massey, Prime Minister and Minister of Lands.

The report deals with the improved farm settlements which were established during the winter of 1909 when a considerable number of men were out of employment owing to various causes, the principal one being reduction in expenditure on public works, retrenchment in the Public Service, and, it was stated, general financial stringency. In order to afford the unemployed married men with families dependent on them an opportunity of establish i;-)g themselves on small holdings, the report continues, the Government decided to seta side blocks of land for settlement under tha Lands Improvement and Native Lands Acquisition Act, 1894. The conditions under which the lands were allotted, briefly stated, were: (a) Selector to reside and improve his holding under an agreement with the Minister for Lands; (b) payment to selector for bush-felling, ploughing, draining, and grassing; (c) advances for buildings and improvements on their own holdings. They were, in many cases, further assigned by being employed upon the road works necessary to give access to the sections in the settlements.

Six improved farm settlements were established. These were: In the Auckland district Rangitoto No. 1, of 52 holdings, 6809 acres; Rang! toto No. 2, 18 holdings, 3351 acres; Korakonui, 16 holdings, 2781 acres; in the Taranaki district the Tangitu settlement of 88 holdings, 14,232 acres, and the Mapara settlement of 38 holdings, 6344 acres; in the Wellington district the North Waimarino settlement of 102 holdings, 14,293 acres; total 3 314 holdings of 47,810 acres. The two Taranaki settlements were proclaimed in 1909 and the others in 1910.

It was inevitable, the report continues, that some of the settlers would fail even under the liberal terms under which the holdings Were allotted. When sections reverted to the Crown, the unemployed difficulty having disappeared, they were not again allotted, but were withdrawn from the settlement and opened on the optional system. Altogether 35 sections containing 5559 acres were so withdrawn from the six settlements, owing largely to the impecunious state of the settlers, the difficulty of access, and also probably to the settlers' lack of experience in breaking in bush country, and the settlements were threatened with failure.

The department was therefore obliged to step in and purchase stock for the most needy ones, who had not obtained their titles, and were therefore unable to raise funds on the security of their holdings. In the Wellington distrht the North Waimarino settlement contained a large quantity of marketable timber, which prevented the sections from being immediately occupied, and the arrangement made with sawmillers to cut the timber upon payment of royalty has, by delaying occupancy, occasioned de lay in bringing some of the sections into grass. Speaking generally, however, grass was plentiful, but stock was scarce. Taking into consideration the weak financial state of the settlers, and tin fact that if they were not assisted the grass on most of the holdings would go to waste, it waß decided to purchase for their use, cows which were secured to the Crown by stock mortgages. *ln respect of the Taranaki settlements of Tangitu and Mapara, authority was issued for the purchase of 620 cows at a cost of £3500, the number of settlers assisted being 75. In the case of North Waimarino, authority was given to purchase 300 cows for' 38 settlers, at a cost of £ISOO, and in the case of the Auckland settlements of Korakonui and Ranigtoto Nos. 1 and 2, authority was given for the purchase of 220 cows for 27 settlers, at a cost of £1250. To date 75 settlers in the Taranaki settlements have been provided with 616 cows, at a cost of £3546; in North Waimarino 26 eettlerß have been provided with 178 cows, at a cost of £992, and in the caae of the Auckland ssttlements, 18 settlers have neen provided with 142 cows, at a cost of £660.

By instruction from Mr Massey, £3OOO worth of dairy stock was purchased for the settlers during the early part of the present summer Nineteen settlers in Taranaki have paid uff £630, thus redeeming their bills of sale.