STOUT HEARTS, STRONG HANDS

Evening Star, Issue 20134, 26 March 1929, Page 14

STOUT HEARTS, STRONG HANDS

MEN FOR THE BACKBLOCKS THE MINISTER’S HOPES £Per United Press Association.] CHF.ISTCII URCH. March ‘26. At a banquet to the Hon. G. \\ • Forbes last night Mr T. E. Hunter, a well-known farmer, of Broomfield, who has nominated Mr Forbes on every occasion that the Minister has stood lor Hurunui, proposed the toast ol ‘‘ Our Guest.” Ho said the duties of office would bo carried out by Mr Forbes with no evasion, shirking, or one-sided-ness. Mr Forbes must have made a study oi the life of the great Abraham Lincoln, for nothing was too big for him to tackle and nothing too small lor him to notice. All electors would get a fair and square deal and a patient and sympathetic. hearing. Replying, Mr Forbes said that it was necessary for the prosperity of the country that there should be a vigorous policy of land settlement. There were hundreds of thousands of acres in New Zealand that were not utilised, and much of this land had been seen by the speaker in the last few weeks. One man had said that the breaking up of such land was for the wealthy men. Mr Forbes differed from that statement, for lie believed that what was wanted was men with stout hearts and strong hands who would go into the baekbloeks fired with the hope that they nould carve out homes for themselves. Those nere the men to M'hom the Minister looked to develop the undeveloped lands, with the Government's assistance.