The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is m corporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 19, 1926.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 February 1926, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is m co rporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 19, 1926.

HACK TO THE la.\n. Tn;: Minister of Hands in the North of Auckland, has been responsible for tt considerable How of eloquence of late. He is tredited with expressing the opinion that, Xotv Zealand can never become a great country on its primary industries alone, and he has taken a very pessimistic view of the undeveloped hind in the Dominion. It i s nut usual for a .Minister of the Crown to take up so pointedly the role of a Jeremiah, particularly wheiv* his o"n department is concerned. Hut Mr Alcl-eod has been decrying a land settlement policy for the reason lie considers there is no more land, worth bringing into operation! We .should say the .Minister has been sadly misii.'ported hut for the fact that his jeremiad appears in good Reform papers under the heading of “Special.'’ and so we take it was supplied specially. in th e days when the Liberals had to take a grip of the land laws, and place land within reach of the people, there was no weakness shown by the Minister of Hands of these days. He was tt courageous man who believed in his country as well as himself and went forward with his groat land for ftettlement .scheme in spite of the squatters who opposed it. The proof of the success of that .scheme is to he found in the words of the .Minister at' Hands of to-day, who admits that close on 99 per cent, of the Domin-

ions’ exports were primary. But for the foresight of the Libera! Minister in the times gone by. the Reform Afinister of to-day could not make so proud a boast of his department. But finding tilings as they are. surely the Minister is not going to throw up the sponge now and believe there is nothing to bo done to place people on the and, New JJefilawl "’ill be n long

time bringing its secondary industries to a profit. The conditions are all against a rapid rise to' fame, under that head, and in the interim it will not he wise to allow land settlement to wane. In tl.e days of old there were those who declared there was no land available. But Sir .fohtn McKenzie found a way to take it by a reasonable method. To-day the present Minister admits there are thousands of men anxious to gel on the land, lie goes further, and says he could place 10,00!) men on the land, if he had the right class of land. If ho has that army of the best class of population any country can have, hungering for land, surely it is the duty of the government- to (iml the land. An extra 10.000 men on the land would add

enormously to the wealth production of tip, country. And. in particular, they would be consumers. AYliat better way also to help the secondary industries by founding an additional colour of consumers. And we know the farming class arc all round consumers patronising every industry. In the confession of the Minister, there is reason for l!v Government finding a policy to settle mor,, people on the land. Legislation seems to come to us in cvcle«. The lime is arriving for another vigorous land for settlement nolicy. We know, in advaire. it will It,, a success if well safeguarded, for

there are the men waiting to go on the land, not only here hut from overseas. The land can give the best assured wealth, for the markets of the

world are open to rciedv,, its prnducK however large the surplus we may turn out. Such being the ease. Now Zealand needs, as Mr M»"''V used to say. settlement and more settlement and still more settlement-.