DAIRYING AND CLOSER SETTLEMENT.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 29 April 1910, Page 3

DAIRYING AND CLOSER SETTLEMENT.

SPEKCri BY HOX. T. McKENZIE.

In <1 speech delivered at Dargarille, yesterday, the ifon. T. McKen/.ie, .Minister for Agriculture, intimated that Jiis department intended to specialist) in tho establishment oi reliable dairy herds of recognised milking strains. He went- on to speak of the dominion's future prospects, and stated that if we wished to do justice to ourselves wo must go in for closer settlement. He did not wish to say a word against the early pioneers, hut wo had reached a stage now when the aggregation of estates must he resisted. Great events wero taking place in international affairs, and we must he prepared to defend our soil against the Asiatic peril. Chinese history reminded us how the Mongol hordes had conquered China and Russia and massacred eighteen and a half million souls. How did we stand in tint respect? He was glad to read that one of the planks of the Commonwealth Labour party was a citizen army. Even now swarms of Asiatics were landing and settling in the Northern Territory of Australia. Wo must have popn- ■ lation. Lord Kitchener had given us the minimum necessary for our defence. His advice could bo accepted or rejected, but it must not lie tinkered with. Wo should welcome settlers of all nations on the same plans of civilisation as our own. The future was full of hope. There had been a slump, but that had passed. Some time ago papers like the Statist and the Economist had declared that the bottom had fallal out of the wool 'market. He had not held that vieWj because in the last few years the world's flocks had decreased by -1-1,000,000, whilst users (if wool had increased by 88,000,001 It- was easy, therefore, to forsee a rally, and he believed the position of woo'i was established beyond qusatio'.i. The frozen meat depression had been attributed to over supply, although as a matter of fact the. supply was less# per he<ad than tm years ago. The real reason of the depression was tho financial crisis in 1907, but tho inordinate production of gold had re-established tho Ik ianee. The production of gold h.st year was £90,000.000, whilst thai for the previous .'3O years totalled C 1,381,000,000, or more than for the whele period between tho discovery of America by Columbus in 1402 and the year 1880. Twelve months ;.go many were unemployed ; now tic people who used meat-, wool, butf ■'>' and cheese were employed, and were able to pay us for them. It was the earnest desire of 'the Govornn ent.to develop industries and the i- iintry generally in the interests >f t'>e people. For a time it had been obliged to hold its hands, butwith tho revival in the value of v>sp rts and in Customs duties t'tio c ffers of the State were in a posithn to enable the Government to go '• I with its policy of developma;))-. ft intended to- do that to t-i'ij lit iv'>st. AYo were at a critical titna IVfficult problems confronted thi> Anglo-Saxon race, and confronted rs. Powers which used to belong to one class had passed into tho h- 1 nds of another, and it was the d-.'ty of statesmen to guide a heal thv public opinion, realising what at stake, and safeguarding the interests of all. If Ministers did that faithfully they need have no fevr for tho future. (Loud applause).