SPEECH BY DR. FINDLAY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 152, 21 March 1908, Page 7

SPEECH BY DR. FINDLAY.

THE LAND QUESTION. RL\ OLLTION VRY SOCIALISM 1 ■ (BY/IEUSGBAPH.—PRESS.' ASSOCIATIOK.j '.'' / - / v •< ■ Christcliurcii, March 2&- • 'Tho ; Hon.' Dr.' I'liidlav,' Minister, of. tha Interior.-; :a}Ml;< arrived at *.•?-• .Cheviot/- on-Thursday {evening,}; and was eniortaiued 'at• a 1 banquet':, by. tlid, members; of:, - tho A. : aiid P. 'Association. 'Responding to / .'. Hie toast of his health, ho defended tho practice - of Ministers.'.visiting, various parts: of. .-tho ..Dominion'iiV. erder''to ascertain, at ". / .first-hand/tjio/requircmouts/of tho -people. . Popnlarity-liunting/,would; do., a .Government. 5/ ,'lib'-''Service, -but-j' bfing 'it 1 into con-,. tempt.' l . 'Referring to the - settlement 'of t . Cheviot,'.he said tliat: tho -acquisition of.,the, i ■ .estato'iwas"a,, national-.event and; tho .beginniiig of it social 'niovement/.whicli ,was itself the beginning of another' movement 1 based /, .on -tho prjnciplo__that -.it .-was the. duty 'of ; -- every v-progrcssivo'-'-Stat-p,:' to find material; mean's ;':'ivliichi(iwoiMi.i.ehablo tho ' greatest -. , huiiibeii. "pf.i.-ifcs-'p,eoplo : Ito » ;mako . headway in 1 :. tlip. .w-6rl^j. i ,;Ho_did:.nqt wish, to-..accentuate}:'; 1 ; feUdf i ,bdtiveeii!'-the large landowner./; . ii>.l'sd-ttlfeV ; He thought that' evei-y; in-;- : jielligent' largb/bwrier in- : New ■ Zealarid' rc'cbg- f';..iised that it.was in the parMnount interest6f .tho! b co'un r ti'y;' that' ' sriiall. ; settlement. .'shoula-,' '. : procbwl, generous. large owners wcro\ uo V/ longer. setting '} themselves; /strenuously'' to arresttho,.progress, '.'of, small / settlement. _; Those''\who} wefo' would:'.liiive' to ( meet, .tho, . agencies brought' "into ioSistcncp ilast session , 0f.,, Parliament; . ,'Hq/ .predicted/that' small A :so'tt]eriieiit,\wpuld. gb' oii 'faster in years, to : ,' : como than' 'it had / ever goiio, on in tha ; ".pastY Ref errfiig' /to.' the,, .prospective}' open-- -v; f i'ng ' ui)Vl;of : iiatirb, lauds'./: in' : ,v tho.- ! North;':-!.! ,-iswnd for European' ; s sfct!tleriipnt,. lie . ad-' , vised tho people of tno South Island to ■ keop their eyes'on th<*reports'of.- tho Native; v . LiM ) *'.ComVMiiSi6iicr.','fThe,.- people} of .-:.tho'/'; Sqiith Island'had' as miich right to land in ,'tho north as.-'anyone,; and '.they, would find }.. an - increasing 'and-'ever more profitable, field. '-for activiti'es there.; Tlie 'J:, ' great areas of the north' lay. calling for tho,''' ■ 'good- judgment and' hftrd'/irark of; tho Euro- 7 'peail >J settl6f/'.and'-that',miist?h(3 tho field- for ;• a great many'of tWpeopltf of tho sqntli. In ;tlfo"*6purse' r of a', rpfereilco to .'the Goverjinierit' .• ' advances to" workmen, ho said that/ ; 3he ; / . line ef' clcaviige between the country , aiid, tho.}} Voity must net continue, 'pr it .wpuld:'speli disj aster. Tho workers?, in 'tho ■ city .witii,"their ?#ires numbered • something:'-'like ' 300,000, : or ;.- .'7O per cent., of tho, total number of tho Do- . ' ininibrt;/ amity„between:i.;' ..town ;and cmiiitry}it}'wbu)d spell something "' .- ;likp revolutionary socialism/ Give t-ho-'workers .in t-hb "city; tho;; sa-nio •: advatilages. that.,.hAtl,,v' hebri afforded to;tho small,settlors,' give him ... tlio incaiis to p'lit aiipusb-'ovpr his head, and- .} i riVakp a\Jiftme,';and't)iat woul^,!bo the best:>an T ',; ■ "•'swer t-o;iiiako to thhso who'preached .-jeviJltK; ; tionftry'sboialistn. -. In regard to tlio railways}./i Dr'l'indlay slated that on tho completion of 1 _ JUie Railway tho}'.-.':''. .what •;> foktent the South Island , '.should take precedence of other lines.