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Hokitika Guardian, 20 March 1924, Page 2

Hi;m.niuxr: to what the Government had already done in the way et accelerating work for Government departments costing nearly £3,000,000, Mr Shaw emphasised his intention of exploring every avenue to provide useful work, and said that lie hoped to effect large schemes lor putting artisans on the land, and to investigate the possibilities of alforcstation. In the latter direction much certainly can be done; and, in view of the threatened shortage in the world’s timber supply, as much as possible ought to lie done, llitheito, however, nothing really effective has been done by any British Government, 'ibis, in spite of the fact that long before the war—indued, about a quarter of a century ago—a Royal Commission drew attention to the fact that in Britain there are no less than nine million acres held idle that could and should ho reaffoiestcd; while Dr. Sehlich, a well-known oxpoit on these matters, estimated if this laud were re-afforested it would give employment directly to 150,000 men, and indirectly through industries connected with the forests would afford employment for at least three times that number. Thus re-afforestation alone would find employment for practically half the number of men now out of work. As for Mr Shaw’s hope to effect larger schemes for artisans on the land, it. may be doubted whether artisans would prove very successful settlors; hut it certainly cannot be doubted that there is ample scope in the Motherland for bringing idle lands and idle hands together, to the great benefit, not only of the unemployed themselves, hut of the eountiy as a whole.

Thk fact that since the end of the war the acreage of land under wheat in the United Kingdom has fallen by 813.786 acres, while the area under oats has fallen by 967,951 acres, speaks for itself. This, surely, is n state of affairs that should never have been allowed to arise. It will be a surprising thing if the Labour leaders, who must have been giving very earnest consideration to the unemployment problem during tlie past four winters, are not fully alive to these facts. It will he very strange, too, if they have forgotten that Prince Kropotkin in his well-known work, “Fields, Factories, and 'Workshops,” points out that:—“lf the soil of the United Kingdom were cultivated only as it was forty-five years ago, 24.000.060 people, instead of 17,000,000, could live on home-grown food; and this cultivation, while giving occupation to an additional 750,000 men, would give nearly 3,000,000 wealthy home customers to the British manufacturers.” It will he seen that there are great possibilities in regard to the unemployed problem, without, embarking upon any “socialisation” schemes. What the Labour Government will do in the matter remains to he seen; but, until they have at least had a chance to prepare and table their plans, consideration should in all fairness he withheld.