THE FATUITY OF MR. FOWLDS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 934, 29 September 1910, Page 4

THE FATUITY OF MR. FOWLDS.

HIS SYDNEY SPEECH. * - (By TelegrapK-Special Correspondent}' ' Auckland, September 28. ..; • In Sydney, the Hon- G.-i'owlds asserted . ■;• that comparatively few people had left . New Zealand" for Australia in search of • . land,' except large: property-holders.' The "Herald"- - thismorning, replies v r .: 1909: New South., Wales alone gained, over VuuU 'persons ,at the expense of New , : land.' -The excess' of our: emigration..- overv ; ; our immigration during' the .. first-eight T' months of . 1910 compels the anticipation that we shall; this year, lose: from. 10,000 •• ;• to 15,090 in this direction, for pur loss already exceeds .9000: At the same time, it: is invariable.' that crowds' of would-be settlers'.' are turned 1 away .landless' from ;' every ; New Zealand land ballot, there being 10 or 20 times as many applicants ;; as ttiere are sections offered at-these rare events. Throughout the country,-• there V: is a general feeling that the Government ; is'insincere in its professions of sympathy with land settlement. What, does Mr. Fowfds moan by 'comparatively.- few'? -From 5 to. 25 per; cent, of our emigrants might be termed - 'comparatively:- few,'-- -.- yet it would represent from 500 to 2500 of those who have left -New. Zealand during 1910.- • Even if the number 1 is much less than the lowest ' estimate,; which. it car- . ; tainly is not,' is it not disgraceful and discreditable that a singlo New Zealander should -be . driven away- by, the land-lock-ing policy, of: the Government?" .. ■ ; in the: same issue .; of the paper appears a report, in which it is stated that applications for various areas o! • land in the Auckland' district (comprisinff 23 sections and 9931 acres) - closed at .tho . '. Lands Offico yesterday. _. A total of 135 •'. applications were received, in ---.-respect - to sections embracing. 5976 . acres. ■.• i'he '' ■v V sections applied for include : that :• in the L: ,iSelwyn Settlement, -near. Okoroire, and thoso at Tautiri, near Kihikihi, Matata, ■ Whakatane, Pakiri, Waimana, Tetumu. and Raglan. ;' The applications-show that' . the O.E.P. still continues to be the fav- . ourile form of tenure with intending . settlers. Of the 135 applicants for sections opened under : the: optional system, 92. have selected tho 0.R.P., and 36 the . :• renewable ' lease.'.. The 'remaining seven - ■ applications are for land for settlement lands which are opened under the renew- , able lease only. .The applicants represent all oarta of the North Island, and several South Island- districts, vinclud- \ ing Canterbury, Nelson, and Marlborough.