Life Is Good, Says Mrs Stevenson

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 50, 29 June 1965, Page 1

Life Is Good, Says Mrs Stevenson

Recently-settled farmers in the Taupo area were delighted with conditions and life was good, Mrs Rona Stevenson, M.P. for Taupo, told the House of Representatives last week. 1 She was speaking during the Budget debate ' and had praised the Minister of Finance, Mr Lake, for granting incentives by way of fertiliser ] transport assistance.

"Some of the more recently settled farmers in the Taupo area had come to a point where their farms were uneconomie due, in most cases, to loss of land by erosion. The Minister of Lands made extra adjoining land available to these men, and they have been able to increase their stock. "They tell me they are delighted and that life is good. "Much help has been given toward stemming erosion — fencing, tree planting, grassing and now fertiliser transport wfill also help," said Mrs Stevenson. "Farmers will also benefit from the further easing of

estate duties. Often a busi- . ness or a farm must be sold • to meet estate duties — and ' usually this has to be done t ■ i quickly, with no opportunity of waitlng for a good market. { Follow this through and it will be seen that it can mean loss of jobs for employees." Mrs Stevenson also referred to farm developnient in the Taupo area. "The Lands and Survey Department has brought in 17,000 acres of pumice land in the Taupo county area

md :he past five settled here and they are putting hard work in to their land. "They will, of course, get their reward for honest labour, but I would like to commend the Minister of Lands for the excellent manuer in which this land has been settled and for the way in which he has ironed out the consequent problems of pumice country, allowing, where necessary, slightly larger holdings than is usual on heavier land."