SPEECH BY MR. MASSEY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1699, 15 March 1913, Page 11

SPEECH BY MR. MASSEY.

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. LAND SETTLEMENT & TENURE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ChristchurcH, March 14. A .very pleasant and enjoyable complimentary. banquvit was .tendered to the Hon. : R. Heaton Rhodes ■ (Postmaster-Gen-eral) by his Constituents of. Ellesmere at Lincoln last evening. There were nearly one hundred and fifty'prominent-electors, of the district-present, and the proceedings throughput were most harmonious, the .references to the■ sitting'member,being highly eulogistical. _ jThe Prime Minister (the Hon. W. F. Massey) was. present, and also Mr. Nosworthy. M.P., and Mr. A. S: Malcolm, M.P. - :■ ;. . Mr. Massey, in the coiirso of a 6peech, Repeated, the announcement mado to a deputation at Ashburton in the morning that hfe contemplated'eplablishing a board of agriculture for tlio Dominion in the near future. Mr. Mhssey dwelt upon the advantages of New Zealand frflm an agncultural point of view, but also indicated the disadvantages by teason of its greater distance from, thj world's market. All other countries were dwelling scientifically on agricultural education, and if we did not watch we would be left. We must do more in. future to guard against that. It would be the policy of the Government .to do everything possible to -promote agricultural prosperity. It was hardly necessary for him to defend the country from the allegations about financial instability. The country was financially sound, ond .that fact was recognised all over the world. The policy so far as land settlement was concerned was to promote -settlement' wherever possible and to give the v-iry soundest tenure possible. Mr. Massey briefly referred to the Southland land case, and outlined the two kinds of tenure which occasioned the misunderstanding. There were two tenures, one with agricultural and one with mineral rights. One man could have agricultural rightt , and another mineral rights, and that position had been clearly outlined by the judgment given by Judge Williams on the case. The Government had Safeguarded the interests of the State in connection with the minerals, and would carefully do ,so in future. 1 He heartily thanked them all for their weloome to himself and appreciation of Mr. Ehodes. - ' : .