WASTE LANDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 29 January 1908, Page 89

WASTE LANDS.

.—«». — «» By C. C.

Mr Keir Hardie a few days ago told a Times interviewer that he looked forward to the utilisation of British waste or unused lands as one of the chief means for bringing about the betterment of the worker. He said there were 20 million of acres lying idle, most of it being suitable for afforestation., and another area, quite as large, suitable for cultivation in small holding^. Probably his statement fairly represents, the condition of things agrarian in the Mother Country, for statistics show that half the land there is in the hands of 7400 individuals, and the other half is owned by 312,500 others, barely one in. a hundred owning more than an acre of British soil. It w.ould not rejoice the heart of our recent visitor to learn that in our miniature Dominion there were, according to the latest returns available, 43,735 colonists each holding five acres and upwards for cultivation purposes, to say nothing of leeaer areas held for residential use. The ..possession, of three acres and a eew does not make up the sum of his ideal state, for land nationalisation is regarded as a .main factor in bringing about , the socialistic millennium; and even when, as in New Zealand, the land belongs to tha people, that is only another form of pro-yerty-holding, .which is anathema. No one probably knovts better than Mr Hardie what is being done inrEngland at the present time, not only under the Small Holdings Act, but by the private subdivision of large estates, to keep th© rural population on the soil. , He has probably also gathered during his Australasian tour that our Governments are acquiring, by compulsion or free purchase, big estates for the purpose of. promoting closer settlement. In connection with this subject of bringing waste lands, into profitable use a very notable case is given, with some elaboration of detail, in a recent issue of the London. Times. It is, by the way, one of th«se anathematised 7400 individuals who holds the title deeds for half the soil of Great Britain — a Mr Keeble, who, by judicious application of capital, has reclaimed 12,778 acres of practically derelict land in West Norfolk. The Duchy of Lancaster held* peesession of this unpxomising: tract of country, and, after the manner of such highly respectable and fossilised bodies, did nothing with it, and were no doubt glad wh'en- they found a purchaser to take it off their hands at £2 17s 6d per acre. Fortunately Mr Keebje was an experienced farmer, a maa of capital, and a splendid organiser; consequently this 20 square miles of -derelict country, close to the Lincolnshire fens, kas now 48. farmers in occupation of holdings from 2Q acres and. over in extent. It can well fee .understood that this transformation, involved a large amount of labour carried out on skilfully devised plans. The natural condition of the 1 area had to be changed in as radical a manner as are hufih lands, ia this- part of the- world* Drainage was the first' necessity, and this was <4ealt with by the erection of powerful engines, and embankments s« constructed that water might be allowed to fl«w back upon the farm lands in- seasons of drought. The housing - problem was dealt witk in the same thorough: manner, and as a result sightly, substantial; sixrroomed farm cottages, buirfc on massive concrete foundations, have been put up at an. average cost of a little over £106 each. The larger farms as a- matter of course ha-ye larger homesteads, and the farm buildings are; as extensive as the, area cultivated requires. Mr Keeble, in order that his, tenants might have ready access to the London" market, constructed a private, railway line, about six miles long> conpeefcing with the Great Eastern Com- , pany'e rails-. Sidings ar«< at quarter-mile , intervals, and every farm ©n the estate debouches on the line. The telegraph and telephone are installed, the latter ■ having a ' connection with every farm on '■ the- estate. As a business man Mr Keeble knows- the economy of .co-operation, and 'has'' induced his tenants to .combine, for- . rtbe- despatch of -large consignments to the | London' nfarket. This plan reduces the-rate-per" ton', and sfeaufes quick delivery. The necessity for this is illustrated by thefact that the freight to London on the main line from the nearest station to Mr Keeble's" estate is 8s 4d per ton^ or about 3s- 4d more than the average - charge for bringing similar produce from New- York." Mr Keeble also employs salesmen, in the market' centres- to- dispose of. the produce •forwarded, and ib« results of sales can be-"at once sent to the several consignors as soon as the produce has found, buyers. • When, the net- result of » sale i& wired the owner can go to Mr Keeble's officeands get a cheque far tihe amount. By the same, agency market intelligence is posted up on. the estate daily, so that growers can watch prices closely and. meet a demand or avoid a' glut. The soil of this reclaimed waste land is described as a blackish, sooty, organic formation, re- i quiring heavy dressings of lime te make it rank as first class in productiveness ; but that dressing only costs- 10s per ton, while basic slag in Lincolnshire is two guineas , per" ton, and sulphate of ammonia 12 guineas. The wheat and barley crops average six quarters to the acre on the estate, but root crops are specially fine, as might be expected from the nature of toe soil. Land with such capabilities, and provided- with such conveniences for profitable working, of course commands good rents, and. the farms are never vacant, although, the rent per acre is about 50g» The experience, gained by Mr Keeble in connection with his reclamation enter,-, prise . is .one common to all the world. _" You .cannot," he says, "take the land to the likely tenant, but the likely tenant will always come to the land." In bis casp those that made the best farmers '■vrese. not the men of Norfolk close by, but those from the north of Cambridge — the purely English, not the Celtic descendants that linger in East Anglia. Men, Jbe holds, are the essentials, the land but the accident. .The Times, in dealing into tfifc striking instance of agricultural ,

success, very forcibly points out that ■' th© practical agriculturist knows, what theorists with political axes to grind are apt to ignore, that the success of small holdings depends upon the men themselves rather than upon any precise system ; and that the suitable man, if he can Tjs found, lias a fair chance of success, especially when, as in this Norfolk experiment, he works under the sympathetic eye and personal superyision of a practical landlord, whose ■whole time and brains ar« given to the economic improvement of his> estate and of those who live on and by it.' There are, unfortunately, very few Mr Keebles in the world to see with such sure discernment .the opportunities that lie in unpromising areas. If there were more the outcry against landlordism would have less meaning to-day. Under the existence of land nationalisation such men would have no place y for the incentive to enterprise would be wanting. There is small probability of departmental officers carrying out these undertakings to a commercially successful issue in this country, if they should be authorised to do so. The officers of the Duchy of; Lancaster saw no potentialities in the 20 square miles of fen country that lay neglected under their noses, and many of Mr Keeble's improvements were carried out in spite of the veto of local authorities. But ■frhat man has done men can do, and for this reason the reclamation of derelict land in 'West Norf»lk conveys a lesson to help the solution of antipodean land problems. The Dominion is pledged to a closer settlement policy, and is to that end acquiring large private estates for subdivision. The approaching completion of railway works will set at * liberty a large number of sturdy men accustomed to hard labour, who, it is hoped, have ' saved enough money during their term of constant employment to give them a fair start as settlers on the land. Ifc no doubt is within the knowledge of the officers in the Land Department that many large tracts of low-lying, awampy lands might probably be drained- at a much, less cost per acre than first-class estates can be compulsorily taken from owners who are unwilling to sell. Many of these private estates are already in profitable occupation and add to the productiveness *of the country, but the derelict lands that might be. brought under cultivation must remain unprofitable portions of our heritage until' by drainage they are rendered a valuable asset in our ljmded- estate. Land reformers are in danger of forgetting that the grivate ownership of large, estates, if it be an evil, is not an unmitigated one. A striking' instance of this came to light in Victoria, at the December wool sales, when 20£ d was obtained for greasy merino wool, and for comebacks 18£« l. These are record prices, and come from, flocks depasturing on second-class, land in the Western district that the Bent Government proposes to acquire and cut up for subdivision. This, would mean the dispersal of flocks that have been brought to the highest degree of perfection and that produce a wool that the whole world keenly competes for.