LAND SETTLEMENT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 570, 24 January 1929, Page 13

LAND SETTLEMENT

MINISTER’S PLANS CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS Press Association WELLINGTON, Wednesday. J Preliminary steps for the formula- : tion of the land settlement policy of the new Government were taken todav, when the Minister of Lands, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, met the Crown land commissioners and members of the. Land Purchase Board in conference. Subsequently the Minister expressed the hope that the outcome of the deliberations would be the adoption of a fairly substantial programme. The conference will be continued to-morrow. Mr. Forbes said the conference had gone fully into the question of settlement generally, and also into the matter of taking up the unoccupied land of the Uorniftion. Suggestions made by the commissioners would be considered further to-morrow. “We had quite a useful talk,” said the Minister, “and a good deal of valuable information was furnished. “The object of the conference is to place me in touch with the position in the various districts and with the obstacles in the way of carrying out increased settlement. We have been able to discuss that matter fully, and I am very hopeful that as a result of the conference I will be able to put into operation a fairly substantial programme of land settlement, it will, of course, take some little time. “Also to be considered is the question of roading in regard to undeveloped lands. That point will be closely looked into, and it is my intention to go on with the business.” Mr. Forbes added that the final decisions of the conference would be reached to-morrow, and‘at an early date he would visit as many parts of the country as possible to ascertain for himself on the spot the practicability of giving effect to the proposals in the districts concerned. The Minister will leave Wellington on Friday night on a comprehensive tour of the South Island, and will later tour the North Island. At the : completion of his visit he will decide j upon the line of action to be followed !in regard to his land settlement | policy. i During his brief visit to the Auck- ■ land district, from which he returned j to-day, Mr. Forbes said he formed the j impression that in the vicinity of Kawhia and in the Waitomo electorate I there were large areas of useful coun- ! try capable of being broken in. These could take a fair amount of additional settlement, but they would require a good deal of development and would not lend themselves to large-area farming.