LAND SETTLEMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1926, Page 2

LAND SETTLEMENT

PREVIOUS STATFAI EXT TWISTED. .MINISTER EXPLAINS. BLENHEIM. Alarch 9. Alter traversing the Clarence Valley with a view to looking into its possibilities, Irom. the point of view of closer settlement. the .Minister of Lands, the Hon. A. I). AlcLeod, today reached Blenheim, whore lie was accorded a civic reception at the Council Chambers, there being a large dnd representative attendance. '“ln these days,” said Air AlcLeod. “a Minister hesitates to make any definite statement in regard to lands, and possible settlement, without first carefully committing to paper what lie wishes to make public. Only a few weeks ago, in answer to a deputation from the far north, which was pressing for tlio introduction of overseas settlers in large numbers. 1 stated that as far as our settlement from overseas or elsewhere was concerned, there remained little undeveloped lands for such, and that future scttlment must, he of a practical and slow nature as far as the uuevelopcd lands are concerned. That) statement has since been twisted into all shapes and forms, their gist being that no more settlement at present on undeveloped lands, in my opinion, was possible. Such an opinion never entered my head. Wluit I said of gum and pumice lands of the North I now say without hesitation of the hack country of the South. Certainly there will lie future development in that area, hut any attempt to rush it by inexperienced men can only end in disaster. Until our secondary industries show any signs of larger development, we must eontinuo to ask and hopo for inure, and more production from the primary. To say that New Zealand lias reached the limit in such a direction is to talk nonsense, and something I have never even thought, much less said. I have, however, said that settled lands are still too Jiigli in price to justify in my opinion, any large purchasing policy in the present unsettled conditions of the world’s markets, and high development cost. “I hold,” proceeded tin* Alinister

“that our production can be greatly increased off' settled laud: but I feel that, by rushing tilings at the stage we could very easily bring about another returned soldier problem, and I am not prepared to take tlie risk of that. The very instability of prices of our products should make anyone careful in the purchase, of wholesale land for sub-division: but under a sane gradual system, tins country is callable of enormous development. As in Clarence, I must confess that I was rather disappointed, for I expected to see a larger area. There is good land there, but it has been mercilessly destroyed bv rabbits, and will take many years to recover, while the cost of reading would lie enormous. The matter will have to he carefully thought out.” _____