LAND SETTLEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1922, Page 5

LAND SETTLEMENT.

A LULL IN THE DEMAND. INCREASED ACTIVITY EXPECTED. Wellington, Last Night. Land settlement was referred to it. the Budget to-night as follows: There being little demand by discharged soldiers for rural and pastoral lands., the purchase of land for this purpose has been much reduced. During the year the Land for Settlements Department acquired 6000 acres undeY the provisions of the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, 1915, at a cost of £140,407, and 2250 acres for individual soldiers, at £79,750, under section 3 of the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, 1917. The total area proclaimed u»der the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, 1915, up to March 31, 1922, was 1,367,761 acres, of which 46,670 acres were proclaimed during the past year. Fifteen estates, comprising 28,938 acres, subdivided into 145 holdings, were opened for selection, together with 231,398 acres of rural, Crown, and scattered settlement sections comprising 460 holdings. Excluding cash some 221,558 acres of Crown settlement sales, reserves, and miscellaneous leases, and national endowment lands, subdivided into 714 sections, were taken up.

An area of 97,792 acres of land was taken up by 403 discharged soldiers, whilst 1307 persons other than soldiers selected 212,104 acres. Over 400,000 acres of land are now open for application by the general public, soldiers having preference. In view of the conditions which obtained during the past year, this result is satisfactory. I believe that improved prices will be fol*) lowed by an increased demand for land, the settlement of which is essential to increased production. The Government policy of encouraging and facilitating settlement will be vigorously pursued