NEW ZEALAND

Hokitika Guardian, 20 August 1924, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND

AXI) LAND .SETTLEMENT

DELED ATE’S lAI IM’.ESSIONS

Alttjor-G'eneral A. G. Watiehope, who wits a member nf -the Empire .Settlenient Delegation which visited New Zealand some months ago. record" his impressions of opportunities in this country in an article in the London ‘•Times.’’

No toe who h:ts travelled in New /calami denies either the charm of the country, the richness of its soil, or the warm welcome that its people give to all Englishmen. Hut there are some who have never heen there who argue that New Zealand is hut a small island : that the rest of the land lias already been bought or leas-j oil; and, toitscquciuly, that there is no room for further development. Certainly, if there he no scone for further development in larming, then : here is no room lor more settlors, for, a.s in Australia, there is little demand foi' workers in the towns. ft needs, however, hut little knowledge s||,,ri vi-it to the Dominion to confute the assumption that progress in the thief branches of farming Inis come to an end.

The development of farm products during the past ten years has been extranrdinary. I'otighly speaking, the value nf exports in ID-’.'l was twice the value of exports in I DDL In lhai year thei-e were b : lin,l)!>ll dairy cattle in New Zealand : to-day there are over a millieu and a t|iiarter. Ten years ago tlm export ol butter and tlitVsc weighed .AC. min tons: in Ib'.’A the weight was over llll.iKlO tons. Two years ago the value, of the wool export, was million pounds, a i-isc of over I lions in olio year, anti that rise still continues, hast year New Zealand supplied Eng- 1 laud with one-hall ol the total im-j ports of frozen mutton and lamb, i These figures reveal something of thej nourishing state of the threw main larielng industries —dairy, trozeil luuttim, and wool. In forming a judgment as to the prospects of future settlers 1 was much inllueneetl by the confidence shown by recent settlers on the land, and a 1-ti by the opinions expressed by many local hank managers. No body of men have more sure knowledge el the econoiiiie stale of rural districts than hankers in the iloniin.ioUr.. Tl i- tlmir Imsiucss. They know to what extent farmers arc in debt ami the value of their securities. And these men have full eonlitlenee ill the development ol the three thief farming iudtisiri -s.

It is true that there i' now little ( town land available lor settlers. Iml ihere is still much • laud which has 11 0 l ln-cti fully developed, and. as in all new t omit l ies, a number ol large properties are eaell year subdivided and made available for closer settlement. New Zealand cannot aeeepl the numbers of migrants that Camilla i r Australia absorbs: but she is ready to accent some 10,TIC a year. and. judging on the evidence given me by a hundred recent settlers whom I saw hot autumn, I believe the outlook lor future immigrants who are ready to win k on i lit- laud to be most lavoitrSettlers ol the next few years will, in fail, have advantages over those who migi aled shortly after the war. la the iir-i plate, certain factors which eati-.tl extreme lliulualions in the prices ol farm proilute tinting lie* •.eats immediately alter the war no longer Opt ra!.’, and greater stability in prices is an immense gain to the scl - tier. I'urlhci’. land, -loci', and building mai.’iial hate generally ialien i:t value during the la-1 few years, e.niseqtteiifly a settler lu-thty. with the same aloouui i | capital, ea’i make a start on a bet tcr-:c|uippoil farm than could the settler of a lew years :>--.0. I.a-tly, New Zea ho:<i Ita - nun iron cred from a I>, ri ,i of th go Com. : .o.| ||ic tabic ol farm pioiiue:- hit' ri-cti in rolation lo the (o-i of protluel : iii. 11 wa- certaii’lv tin- opinion of nearly all fanners whom I in t lh:il, though many had IV.’I d ,s; iit i • tie war. ami many others

Ware hard hit, lilt* prospect- ol all - <•> epi t la.-.* ,>1 (line fruitgrowerV. ere wing 111 'll* and icnv hop.l til. Shortage ' : lai:;-e- i-. at present, a didit nit problem in nearly all 101111-ii'i.-s. Tbe boil'ing problem i- being tackled by the (lavci Mint'll I in New Zealand, but it lot- mu yet been solved. 'I lie large number- of men. how ever, belli in Ausiralia and in New Zealand who own thou* own houses is rt markal le. and proves a most happy plan lot.! 1 to the owner- and to the Stale. I loon I, al- o. l hat the I mmigralioii Hepart nielli ha- been successful i:i giving a-si-ic ! pa-.-e.ge- only U' those v.liom the t Ilicials coidtl house either as fanners or farm labourers. Outside llie iioiniiiated system, farm labourers, domestic servants. and, under the rt—eni e.grceiueot. public school hoy- are given .special as- stall, e to settle in New Zealand.

Except -omel'mes during the winter mr.iiihs tie demand lor farm workers is good, a id a farm hand 1 ct elves not h-s than -Jos a week from ill" time cl hi- arrival. I e-.ides free board and lodging. I found Ihc system whereby the farm labourer was guaranlced wtirk hr twelve inoiiths alter landing was working satisfactorily both to the migrant and tiie farmer. Seven hundred tli»inc*-l it* servants were given free passages last year to New Zeal: fill, and the demand, as far as I could gather in New Zealand, still greatly exceeds the supply. ( i.itsiderabl ■ interest is being shown hi Hi.' tlew -1 helm’ whereby hoys Irulll ],:,!dii- se! I- ill England are given (h'..ji passages to New Zealand and there trained ell selected Infills. During I he pc-lit id of training the hoys rc-

ceive free hoard and lodging and a wage rising from 10s a week its they become more skilled in farm work. The

Government is wisely sending small numbers at first until the working of the scheme is assured ; but it shows every sign of success, and promises to meet the needs of many hoys who leave school with little capital hut some spirit of Utlvelitiifi). It is true that the price of good land near the railway is high, hut the value of land depends on what it produces and on the cost nf production. The high price of land is an evil more apparent thalt real. The real evil is the stile of land at more than its true economic value, whether that price he high or low. 1 believe it to he generally true ill New Zealand, as it is generally time in Scotland, that farmers make the best profits on rich land ami the smallest profits on poor soil, even if loused at a low rent...