NO AGGREGATION.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3350, 1 December 1919, Page 5

NO AGGREGATION.

DE-NMAR-K’S REMARKABLE. POSITION. ' VISITOR’S CONTRAST WITH NEW _ ZEALAND. T .VVEI‘.LINGTON, Nov. 27. While the New Zealand political arena resounds with discussion of land aggragation and drift to The towns, a Danish visitor. Mr R.‘ Knapp, ofiicial agricultural adviser "to. the Danish Grovernment, who is investigating our daii-yinggfimcthdds, gives important facts showing how close settlement has benefited his country. .Denm-ark ap« pears to be exempt from the disquiet’ing prenomen-on of drift to the town. [this a land of small holdings, and freoholders, and‘ the country is thickly populated. In~ consequence interest in rural ‘life is fostered by over a hundred agzicultunal schools and colleages, and "there are seventy high schools for furnishing good general education. Then there are seventeen experimental stations, and overall, the Royal Agricultural College. A-ggregation and reaggrega’r’on do not exist, the tendency being natlier the otlicr way, as farms are divided up amongst the family of a farmer. On twenty acres a man may make a good living. There are thousands of families who manage on less than ten acres. Land too poor for agriculture is being planted with trees to provide timber at a later date, and la. progressive policy pervades the sysitem of agriculture. Everything is [tried to increase output, which in normal times from an area one—sixth the size of New Zealand, with three times its population. includes exports of but tor worth £10,000,000, and of bacon ltliree-quarters of that value.

V5/THERE Sl\l.—\L«l.'.. HOLDINGS PAY. Denm§n'l{ w!2.s\ vdrescl*ibe& .-by Mr Knapp as essentially a land of sme.-ll holdin-gs on frhe -ffeehold system. Speaking from memory, he ‘said there roughly abouf 150,000 small holdings, ranging in area from one to ten lacres :7-Lt‘-e-a. He believed ‘(here we:-9 alsouf 100.000 pracfieally all ,engag_>'dd in dairying. Prices of land before the war had averaged, for good quality soil. about £SO an -acre, but (luring and a.ftel- the _war values had‘ risen consiclerably fo nearer £IOO an acre. Special holdings went up to as much as £125, but it must be remenibered their this inclnfied complete f~airln,bu‘ildilvgs and equipment. ‘From whal;.»lle had heard, prices of land Were, nearly as high here. and the only Way of making: such farms pay was ‘a. more in tensive system of culture, In Denmark there was no break in the round of «,la.iryin,q, no off season, with the clos~ ing of f’ao.’rories. such as characterised our mn’cho(l_q ‘here. Supply went on in Denmark in winter was well as summer. This. of course, laeconnted for the" necessity of artificial feeding. In years past the temlency of emi;'raH.on from Denmark has been toWa"d.< :\meriea.'l)ut Mr Knapp. after tour7'ng‘ Allsll'9.li-:1. is of opinion efhat this Dominion oflers Pa. better field. On his return to Denmark he is prepared to make I‘epresenta.tions to ‘dial effect, and the success of the early Daniels. settlers in Manawafu and the Sevenhn mile Bush encl elsewhere no do-übf wfil be quoted in his leport.