New Zealand Opinions

Horowhenua Chronicle, 6 January 1917, Page 1

New Zealand Opinions

AS EXPRESSED BY LEADING KEWSIPAPEES.

"A rather dismal record in tlie way of land settlement is disclosed by statistics published in a recent Gazette. Particular aire given of the occupation of land;, classified into holdings and showing the distribution of the rural' population. The returns are for the year 1915-IG, and they appear to have been compiled vit(h elaborate care. To get their value, of course, we have to compare them with previous returns which are available in the Year Book. Since 1910-11 the .total area in occupation, in areas of one acre and more has increased by just over one million acres—from 40,238,000 to 41282,000 acres. The number of holdings grow from 73,876 to 77,229 —or by 3353. At first sight th'is may appear satisfactory, in view of the fact that the latest return makes a better showing of progress- than had bean the case for some yeans. But an increase of 4J-' per cent for five years is nevertheless deplorably small in a you'ng, undeveloped country, which has 24,30(3.000 acres of land entirely uuiin,proved. This huge territory., comprising more than ciitthird of Now Zealand and nearly onehalf of the usable, land in the <;. minion has never had a seed sown upon it nor been worked by a plough. Somebody lias written of Australia ''Just tickle her with a lioe and she laughs a harvest." How .much more truly that might be said of New Zealand; and yet there seems to be almost a conspiracy against anything in the way of real settlement. For while the number of holdings increased by 3300 the population grew by over 100,000; so> that landless proportion of the people has substantially increased. — Manawatu Times. "The solution of the wheat question appears as far off as ever, and it is quite disappointing to find' that the Government has so> far failed to put foirwartl a. concrete scheme to overcome the difficulty. . . . The Minister of Agriculture apparently fully appreciates the gravity of the position ; he is anxious to do something to overcome the difficulty, but in view of the exceedingly wide divergencies of opinion, in face of the widely dissimilar estimates as to cost which have been placed before him. he is naturally faced with a problem of more than average difficulty. However, Mr. McDonald is a practical farmer as well a.s a level-headed Minister, and his knowledge of the problem should enable him to find a way out of the difficulty without being to any great extent following the views of others."—Christchurch Star.

"It is said the proposed Premiers' Conference in England -g-ave general satisfaction.. What is the good t>f it all it results are to 1 he judged by the Inst conference? Sound the Imperial note, get a good time, a P. 0.; and the farmer—goes on grafting just the same."—•Opuuake Times.

"The pure wheaten loaf has passed away for the period of the Tvar, and England is now eating "war broad," •made of a mixture of -wheat maize, and cats or barley, and is apparently finding that the white bread, so dear to the hearts of most people, was, asother people have always said, -a fetish. The public health will be all the bettor for the change, as it will be for the coming prohibition of new bread and fancy rolls. By the time the veto reaches buns, even the youngest in the community will begin to understand what -is meant by 'the horrors of war.' " —Evennig News, Christclrarch.