The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1930. HELP FOR THE SETTLER.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 May 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1930. HELP FOR THE SETTLER.

The Minister of Public Works, speaking at Stratford last week, supplied h.s audience with some interesting information as to the assistance that the State is now prepared to afford to Crown tenants. As Mr Ransom said, me facts are by no means so widely known or so generally appreciated as they should be, and in the interest 01 “the man on the land” it is desiri able to give them the fullest possible publicity. Especially is this the case when, as at the present time,, declining prices and severe competition in outside markets are embarrassing our primary producers, and render such aid as the Government offers particularly acceptable and opportune. AS the Minister explained, one of, the great problems of --settlement, especially in the North Island, has been to prevent land once cleared and improved from deteriorating and relapsing into primitive condition. To help settlers thus situated the State may grant its tenants a rebate of rent up to 10 years, the sum thus saved bei spent by the tenant dn fertilisers. But a more effective form of assistance was provided last session when the Government obtained authority to x 0,000,000 to be lelit by the Lands Department to Crown tenants against improvements made. This expedient is intended to supply as far as possible the lack of capital which is the pre- \ piling weakness of our system of small holdings. As the Minister of Public Works puts' it, Crown lands are frequently taken up by men with very little capital, whose resources are often exhausted in the initial process or “breaking in” their land, and it is cnieHy to help settlers in this unfortunate position that this new form of State finance has been devised. A striking illustration of the value of this policy was given by Mr Ransom. The tenants on the Guthrie settlement, mear Atiamuri, were required to make certain improvements for six years, and were then to receive in return the title to their lands. But many of tnem found that their efforts to make this pumice country productive had exhausted their capital within 'three years, and they had no security left to pledge for further loans. The legislation of last session enables settlers in this position to. get a State loan up to 90 per cent of improvements, and a further 90 per cent, on subsequent improvements can be advanced up to £1250. Such a provision will make all the difference between failure and success to hundreds of settlers so situated, and public opinion should recognise in this new form of State aid to Crown tenants one ofi the most effective and statesmanlike attempts yet made to assist our primary producers in developing the immensely valuable natural resources of the Dominion. This extension of the oici Liberal policy affecting land settlement is further evidence of the virility of the party' to assist the country’s progress. Next to a well-ordered financial system, land settlement is the most important in the national welfare and in these two essentials the reebrd of the Liberals is really unapproachable. With regard to finance, Sir Joseph Ward has created a safe record in time of international crisis, while his Minisers responsible for the land administration are proving as cap-, able in that direction. There seems every reason to trust the present Government from a national point of view. Tt has established the national credit and is making good in other directions, so tlint the general stability of the Dominion is being very capably assured.