LAND DEVELOPMENT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 17, 23 October 1945, Page 8

LAND DEVELOPMENT

GOVERNMENT POLICY URGED

M.P.s CONTENTION

The opinion that the Labour Dc- j partment could well handle the em- j ployment situation was expressed by i Mr W. Sullivan, (National, Bay of Plenty), when speaking in the second reading debate of the Employment Bill in the House of Representatives. "What I say is this/' he said. "The National Service Department should pass away after the war and the Labour Department could well handle the situation in the future." He agreed that during the war period the National Servicc •Department did quite a good job ? but now that the*war was over, the department should be dispensed with l . He too, that ii: the po&t-war period it might be necessary under Government policy, to have some, sort of placement service so that employment could be found, if necessary. All that work, he contended, could be done with the existing organisation of the Labour Department. "Should we have unemployment in country at all, if we bad a policy we could put into operation which would offer employment, and which would give us national development irore rapidly in the post-war period ?" he asked. "That is the policy we should adopt."

Mr Sullivan stressed the great opportunities for employment in the agricultural industries and asked a 9 what was the Government's policy as far as land development was concerned ? There were thousands of lying idle waiting to be developed; But that land would not be developed unless some encouragement were given by the Government. Under present-day conditions New Zealand had an opportunity to build up a contract with the Unit ed Kingdom. Unless the Government changed its policy and gave encouragement to the man who produced from the soil by seeing that he got full reward for his efforts there would not be the employment on the land on the farms and in *9 y all the subsidiary industries adjacent .to the primary industries. What was being done so t'af as the forestry industry was concerned ? If the forestry industry were to be tackled as it should be tackled an enormous business could be worked up in exotic timbers. Again surelv 9 there was an opportunity of em. ploying men by the adoption of a rapid road development scheme throughout outback areas. There was no industry that could give greater employment than the building industry t but the Government did not seem to realise the great shortage of materials for that industry. Dealing with taxation as it affects employment, Mr Sullivan said some change would hai-e to be made to allow industry to function and he also urged that the 33 1.3 per cent tax on unearned income imposed during the war should be reduced.