SETTLEMENT OF LAND

Hokitika Guardian, 20 July 1926, Page 4

SETTLEMENT OF LAND

DIFFIC ULT PROBLEM. WELLINGTON, July 16. Complaint was made by Mr E. A. Kamsoin (Pnliiatua) in the House tonight that the Minister of Lands had not taken advantage of the Empire Settlement Scheme. Something like 10,000 immigrants per year were being brought into this country. They gradually drifted to the towns, and largely constituted our unemployment problem at the present time. There were 4000 to 5000 men in .New Zealand waiting to go on the land, if the Government could bring down some land settlement scheme satisfactory to them. If we were to continue to absorb 10,000 people a year we were going to create a serious problem for ourselves unless 'these migrants were employed to increase the production of this country. The present nomination system was not getting us anywhere, and was only another means of the Government relieving itself of a responsibility by shifting it on to private individuals. The Minister for Lands (the Hon Mr McLeod said that the subject of closer settlement of the land was of great im_ pol'tanco, and he could assure the House that no man could have given greater attention to it in the last twelve months than he. HOW MUCH LAND?

Mr Fraser: Have you altered your opinion of the amount of settlement land available? Mr McLeod : No, not as to land that anyone is likely to make a success of unless heavily subsidised by the State. That is the whole point. What subsidy is the State willing to give to the people on the land? Mr Parry: Have you got no land apart from that? Mr McLeod: Not worth mentioning. There is some on the border line, I admit, which, in capable hands, might be developed, but the fluctuations of the market in the last few years have scared even the man with a couple of thousand pounds out of that land. Mr Parry: How much do you think a man would require? Mr McLeod said that ho. did not think there was a possibility of a man doing any good with less than £2500. Mr Eraser remarked that it was claimed that the group settlement scheme was now working well in Australia. Mr McLeod said he did not think the evidence was sufficiently definite yet. He was quite sure that the Empire loan basis of £SOO was worthless. Everyone who lived in a town knew that it cost £IOOO or so to build a house decent enough to ask a family to live in, and the fact was that the cost was greater in the country. BETTER AS WAGE-EARNERS.

He would not, as Minister, offer any encouragement to people overseas to come here unless he. with his experience as a, practical farmer, was absolutely certain that by hard work over a period of years they would have something more than a competency, that they would do hotter than they would as wage earners. The country had to face the question as it had at Raugitaiki. The question was one of subsidy by the general community. We had no hesitation in calling on the State to subsidise secondary industries, but if a subsidy for a land scheme was asked for there would he criticism against himself as Minister and against the Government. Mr Eraser: It would depend oil the scheme.

“ Well.” concluded Mr McLeod. “no matter lias been given more consideration bv the Government and by myself, and we are not going to throw it up morclv because it is difficult.”