LAND WEALTH

Hokitika Guardian, 7 May 1930, Page 8

LAND WEALTH

DOMTNK)N’S RESOUKCES

WAY TO PROSPERITY

Every man on tlie land in New Zealand is now carrying three in the city. To make the proportion economically sound it should lie two to one. We have the land the people need it.

These statements formed part of a bright review made by Mr W. J. Hol.dsworth, chairman of the Auckland Electric Power Board, and also of the Land Settlement and Development League. He was replying to address by a fellow Rotarian, Mr Ja? Fletcher, managing director of the i let; her Construction Company, delivered to members of the Auckland Rotary Club, in which Mr Fletchei complained that The community was neglecting the Dominion’s secondan industries

Humorously referring to his brothel Rotarian’s occupation says the Auckland “Star,” Mr Holdsworth asserted that in his address Mr Fletcher had not paid his usual attention to the toundati-ons, which would sag. On his amaginary motor tour he had taken a wrong turning and had chosen a road full .of potholes instead of the good, smooth highway leading to land settlement.

AUSTRALIA MISTAKEN ?

Primary and secondary industries, said Mr Holdsworth, had lieen rightly designated in that order, and it would uC a. sad day for the Dominion if they reversed the older and fostered secondary industries at the expense oi primary. It was significant that on the same day that Mr Fletcher gave his .address, a notablo visitor from Australia was saying in an interview that the Commonwealth was in a serious position just now, largely as iiu result of its policy of bolstering up secondary industries and neglecting agriculture. The people of the Commonwealth were now realising their mistake and a public announcement had been made recently to the effect that important extensions of he functions of-the Commonwealth Bank wore being made to increase the volume or credit for primary industries. All the available resources of the bank were u, lie utilised for advances to the Stale and other banks to enable farmers and producers to he adequately financed over the coming season. This policy had been decided on in order to lead the way to a recovery of national prosperity.

all from the SOIL.

New Zealand/ said Mr Holdsworth, was an agriculture country, first and foremost. What was it that liad put us on the map of the world? Our primary industries. What had made possible) the great fleet of steamer.-, that ploughed the oceans between us and the Old World? . Our primary industries. Over 90 per cent, of our wealth came from the soil. He did not wish to underrate the importance of our secondary industries, but most of them were limited by the scope ,of our population, whereas the markets for our primary products .embraced the • •imntless millions of the globe. What Mew Zealand really needed was inreased population, and she wanted it >tnrough the medium of increased land settlement. The great danger ,of the moment was that we wore losing our sense of,’ proportion Our producers numbered 440,C00, practically a third of the population. That meant that the man on the land was carrying three in the city. To make the proportion economically sound the proportion should he two to one.

WORLD-WIDE PROBLEM

Quoting the experience oT other countries, Mr. Holdsworth said that in modern times three great nations— America, Germany, and England—had specialised in industrial expansion with a corresponding neglect of agriculture, and millions of unemployed were now a problem in each. The United States now realised its mistnStand President Hoover had promised “ special session of Congress to deal with tno agricultural problem.

While the nations mentioned had their unemployed in millions. France, a peasant population, which stuck to

the land, was prosperous and imported last year surplus labour to the number ■or one .million and a half. Italy, also, which was a country of small holdings, had no unemployed problem. Czechoslovakia, which, on territory the size of the South Island of New Zealand had a population of 14,000,000, proeided a striking example of the importance of agriculture. In 1917 most of the land was owned by 200 to 300 persons, and the people as a whole were poverty-ridden serfs. Since then enlightening legislation had revolutionised the system.so(o,ooo families were settled on the land and the country was remarkably prosperous. In the countries named secondary industries- were also prosperous, but it was because they were well hacked by the primary activities.

WHAT MIGHT BE.

In New Zealand, said Mr Holdswortli, there were 60,000,000 acres, of which only 19,000,000 were either wholly or partly cultivated. He invited his hearers to consider what would be the effect of adding to Auckland's present occupied lands, one thousand one-man farms. T|ie demand for labour both skilled and unskilled, the equipment of a thousand homes and all the multifarious requirements associated'eivith such settlement, would quickly, make itself, felt in. the towns. We had the land and people wanted it. All that was ' needed was a com-

prehensive national scheme, with adequate finance arranged, to make the land available. He appealed to his fellow Rotarinns to get behind the movement for land settlement in such a way that no Government could resist the pressure.