TOWARDS EFFICIENCY

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 123, 25 May 1926, Page 8

TOWARDS EFFICIENCY

GOVERNMENT'S AIM

"POLICY WELL MAPPED OUT"

MINISTERS' SPEECHES AT TAUMARUNUI.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) TAUMARUNUI, This Day. A complimentary dinner was tendered to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. M'Leod) last night, by the Taumarunui County Council. Eighty representatives of local bodies and business concerns in the town and district were present. Mr. J. C. Rolleston, M.P., Mr. R. W. Smith, M.P., and Mr. J. A. Warriock, Deputy-Mayor of Auckland, were also present. The proceedings were marked by enthusiasm throughout. Mr. Coates, in responding to the toast of his health, made an appeal to the people of the country to pull together for the common good. Dealing with unemployment, he said he did not consider it the duty of the Government to find work for all, but rather in hard times to assist necessitous cases. A survey had been made of important works that could be gone on with, and which would provide work for necessitous cases. Dealing with the Government Departments, he stressed the need of leadership and efficiency. The Government was aiming at efficient and smart administration, and hoped thus to economise and lighten the burden of taxation. They had their course well mapped out, and intended to put it into operation. PROBLEMS OF THE LAND. Tho Minister of Lands, dealing with the question of deteriorated lands, said that the Government, before advancing money, must find out if it was going to do any good. He believed it was better to go along carefully, and get the opinions of the best farmers. Tho Minister of Agriculture was going deeply into the matter of revaluation' of soldiers' farms. Farmers wero beginning' to reali'so the value of the men in the Agricultural Department. If the farmers had followed their advice before, it would have been better for them. Mr. M'Leod spoke of the drift of population to the towns. He said he believed that for many years the coun,try would have to depend on the great primary industry, but an endeavour would have to be made to link up with secondary industries. Much of , the land difficulty was caused by the sudden jumping about of exceptional values. He .the country liad wonderful recuperative powers, but city men must take a greater interest in primary producers than'they did to-day, and endeavour \to help stop the drift to > the towns. '