LAND FOR SETTLERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 October 1922, Page 5

LAND FOR SETTLERS.

AGGREGATION DENIED. MINISTER QUOTES FIGURES. By Telegraph.—-Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. In the House of Representatives to-day, the Hon. D. H. Guthrie made a statement on the subject of land statistics and aggregation. In reply to recent criticism, in which it was stated the Dominion was losing settlers because of the aggregation taking place, the Minister pointed out that critics apparently confused the statistics of the Agricultural Department with those of the Lands Department, and in consequence had drawn wrong conclusions. The agricultural and pastoral statistics, said the Minister, give a very fair indication of how the occupied land of the Dominion is used, but it had never been claimed for them that they provide an accurate record of the number of holding disposed of by the Crown to private persons and held by them. Aggregation, as a supposed evil in this country, is very glibly spoken of by political opponents of the Government, but it is a significant fact that specific instances are very seldom brought under the notice of the Minister. In the Land Acts of 1912, 1918, 1919, and 1920, the Government made very comprehensive additions to the anti-aggregation legislation of 1908, and these provisions had undoubtedly provided an effective check to undue aggregation. As to the alleged land hunger, the Minister pointed out that since 1916 the Government always had ample land available, and this year no less than 39,062 acres are awaiting settlers. On the subject of the subdivision of large estates, he quoted figures to show that they had, since 1912, purchased for subdivision 400 estates io various parts of the Dominion of a total area of 682,283 acres, and valued at £6,983,901. Some 150,000 acres of Crown lands had been subdivided together with these properties, and the whole had been cut up into 3400 holdings. The land tax had also been responsible for the breaking up of estates, and is having a marked effect in keeping areas within reasonable bounds.