§ Mr. CECIL WILSONasked the Minister of Agriculture what schemes of land reclamation have been inaugurated during the last 10 years; what area each covers; which schemes have been completed; what has the cost been in each case; what is now the market value; and who is now the owner of the land reclaimed?
Mr. GUINNESSThree schemes of land reclamation have been undertaken680W during the last 10 years, all of which have been completed. The schemes were carried out at (1) Wainfleet, on the north-west shore of the Wash, by the Ministry; (2) Wingland, on the shore of the Wash in the vicinity of King's Lynn, by the Commissioners of Crown Lands, and (3) Meathop Marsh, in Morecambe Bay, by a committee, of landowners with the aid of a Government grant.
(1) The area of land reclaimed shortly after the War at Wainfleet is, approximately, 338 acres, and cost £56,550 to reclaim. Of this land, 61 acres have been sold with other lands, the price realised for the whole being, approximately, £40 per acre. The remainder of the land belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the value being estimated at £16 per acre. This scheme was carried out by unemployed land labour and the cost included the provision of a hutted camp.
(2) At Wingland, approximately, 340 acres were reclaimed in 1925–26 on behalf of the Commissioners of Crown Lands, at a cost of about £18,000, and remain the property of the Commissioners. The land has yet to be equipped and under-drained, and until this has been done its value cannot be precisely stated.
(3) An area of 465 acres was enclosed at Meathop Marsh during the years 1923 to 1925 at a cost of approximately £34,000, as part of a land drainage scheme for the relief of unemployment, the Government grant being approximately 75 per cent. of the cost. I have no precise information as to the market value of this land. which remains in private hands.