A REASON REQUIRED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 326, 13 September 1932, Page 4

A REASON REQUIRED

A test of the Government's sincerity in its land settlement policy is its attitude toward any reasonable proposals which may be advanced to forward this policy. Last month, we published the details of an offer which • has been made in the Opotiki- | Whakatane district, but accord- ] ing to advice received yesterday, | there is every reason to beiieve I that the proposal has already | been declined. Apart altogether i from the merits or otherwise of I the offer, the Government apI pears to have acted in this matj ter with a promptitude which appears unfortunately akin to unseemly haste. The offer was made less than a month ago and | it hardly appears that it has ibeen given the consideration I which it undoubtedly merits. t The area submitted does not fall ! within the category of unbroken | country ; on the contrary half a | j dozen families at least could im- | mediately be established on a jproducing basis. The greater part of the oiock is already in pasture or partially broken, and I offers good prospects to any sel- ; ector. Good road access, with ; post office, school, and dairy fac- * | tory within reasonable reach are I all available. The Minister of 1 Lands has on various occasions . dewailed the time which must I intervene before rough country ; can be brought into production. , He also repeatedly bewailed the dearth of Crown land suitable for settlement, at the same time reiterating the Government's pious hopes for a solution of the i unemployment problem and an acceleration of closer settlement. j This Bay of Plenty block apj pears to offer the Minister an | opportunity to prove the depth of his protestations. The Bay of Plenty itseif is a district which is only now beginning to come into its own ; it has splendid potentialities if the brake of official indifference is not plaeed upon its progress. An opportunity for profitable closer settlement such as has been afforded ' by this offer is at one and the j same time an opportunity to projmote the progress and productivity of the district and assist the unemployment problem. It is not necessarily implied that the block in question should be settled by men at present unemployed. On the contrary, praetical farmers are the first essent.ial ; if men of this type are available from the ranks of the unemployed, they could be given financial assistance by the Unemployment Board which has, as its main function, the restoration of men to profitable employment. In this particular case, the Government has been offered a block of good varied farming land which with proper farming methods, could possibly be cut up into over a dozen thriving farms. Whether the farms thrive or not is, of course, pTimarily a matter for their occupiers, but before they can even begin to thrive the Government must do something to assist sub-division. It should be unnecessary to stress the obvious even when appealing to the official intelligence, but it will not be amiss to point out once again that twelve thriving farms are of infinitely more value to the district and the country than one large farm which is not being worked to its productive capacit'y. A soUttd and progressive land development policy vigorously pursued throughout the country, and not in occasional spasms, is what is required. The Government has on numerous occasions claimed credit for such a policy but there have from time to time been suggestions that the claims have outstripped the extent of the achievement. If a good ahd suifi-

cient reason exists for declining this offer, there is no more to be said, but some statement amplifying the reason is necessary ; at present it appears to be obscure. The land is good, the facilities are good, and the price asked appears to be extremely reasonable. .