LAND SETTLEMENT

Southland Times, Issue 21090, 23 May 1930, Page 11

LAND SETTLEMENT

MR. J. R. FRANKLIN’S WARNING.

(Per United Press Association.)

Wanganui, May 22. That settlement of land could be carried on too fast in New Zealand and that there is a danger of the Government being stampeded into a policy of settlement that will bring about a similar state of affairs as arose when the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act had been in operation a few years, is the opinion of Mr. J. R. Franklin, given expression to at the inter-pro-vincial conference of the Farmers’ Union at Wanganui to-day. “I am not against • the settlement and development of unoccupied land,” said Mr. Franklin, “but I do not agree with a great deal of what was said by the Lands Development Board of Auckland and their policy of wholesale settlement. I say that is impossible. The Board say that the Minister of Lands is too cautious. I do not agree with that. You had sufficient proof of wholesale settlement when the country was stampeded into settling returned soldiers on the land and we lost eight millions. It is up to the Farmers’ Union to see that that doesn’t occur again. I fully agree that land was bought in the boom, but the real trouble was that there were too many square pegs in round holes. Many a settler went on to a property and then abandoned it. What about the land cut up 18 and 20 years ago ? Settlers were helped by the Government then and we are still paying for it. I believe the time is coming when we will have closer settlement of our land holdings, but we can’t do it quickly. It is not fair to the board and the Minister of Lands to say that they are taking a courageous policy.” Mr. Franklin’s views were endorsed by the conference and he was applauded for his forceful appeal to do the right thing.