IDLE ACRES

Southland Times, Issue 21093, 27 May 1930, Page 2

IDLE ACRES

NEED FOR DEVELOPMENT. p OBJECTS OF LEAGUE. ■ TREBLING NATIONAL WEALTH. Need for New Zealand to awaken to the vital necessity of land settlement was found in many arguments by touring speakers representative of the New Zealand Land Development and Settlement League, who addressed a public meeting in the Conc“rt Chamber of the Town Hall at Wellington recently. Acres lying idle while unemployed clamoured were shown as a vast, unrealized asset, and reasons were presented why the whole future prosperity and safety of the country depended upon their development. Sir (John Luke, who occupied the chair, said he thought there was some misunderstanding in regard to land settlement in New Zealand. The total acreage of the Dominion was 66 million. Of those acres 21 million were in occupation, .18 million were held by leasehold, 15 million were taken up with public utilities, such as parks and similar areas associated with the Government and municipalities, leaving 5 million acres under control of the Maoris and 3 million acres of Crown land available for settlement. The residue of the land was comprised by lakes, rivers and hilltops. Some clearer adaptation of the land question as far as the Maoris were concerned should be brought about, not only giving fair and square treatment to the Maoris, whom it was considered had first right, but giving an opportunity to the European population of the country and their children after them to take up unoccupied land. Sir Apirana Ngata and Sir Maui Pomare had broad views in connection with the association of the Maori with the European—in fact, there was a spirit of unity abroad between the two peoples that it was desirable should be clinched, and if the Maoris could go forward with the work of aiding the settlement of land they would be doing a great thing for New Zealand. Sir Joseph Ward had said recently we should put 50,000 more people on the land, and the speaker agreed with that. He believed league would go a long way toward solving the question. Last year 462,000 acres were settled, but of that figure 131,000 acres comprised pastoral runs, which did not provide a great deal of employment as did other types of settlement. Increasing National Wealth.

Mr R. Clover-Clark, executive member of the league, said the league came into being to rouse public interest in the vital matter of land settlement, and in the three or four years of its existence had done a great deal to draw public attention to the importance of the subject. The league took credit to a large extent for the Land Laws Amendment Act, and was definitely responsible for the provision of the amendment providing for five millions to be expended on the development of idle Crown lands, as Sir Joseph Ward had introduced his amendment after being interviewed by the league. There were in this country enough undeveloped acres to increase the national wealth two hundred per cent. It was true some of the Crown land for settlement might not be suitable for farming or dairying, but there were other activities which would bring full benefit from natural resources.

At present New Zealand was supplying only 25 per cent, of the butter consumed at 'Home, and not until that figure was 100 per cent, need New Zealand talk of over-production. Primary Production Paramount. Mr J. W. Holdsworth, chairman of the league, said in his opinion the primary and secondary industries were actually named in their order of importance, and it would be a sorry day for New Zealand when it tried to change the order. The best way to foster industries and create new ones was to push on with land settlement. It was unwise for New Zealand to have all its eggs in one basket, and the country would be well advised to explore the possibilities of trade in the Far East. The Dominion needed more population' to bring greater prosperity but that increased population should come through land settlement. The question was large enough to justify the Government calling together exr perts and practical farmers to go into the whole question and evolve a big scheme to put this country on the road to prosperity. Canada was reaping the benefit of the cheap English money of which New Zealand had failed to take advantage. New Zealand boys were leaving to go to Western Australia because there was no satisfactory scheme of land settlement in their own country. Not only immigrants but New Zealanders were desirous of going on the land and had not the slightest idea of how to go about it. Public school boys brought out from England had said the position had been misrepresented to them, as they were unable to get land on their own. In regard to unemployment, said the speaker, the Government, if it had spent half the money it had provided for unemployed upon Crown lands instead, it would have done a tremendous amount of good, providing work for both skilled and unskilled men and making a definite contribution to land settlement. Countries overseas, such as France and Czecho-Slovakia, had made strides in the matter of land settlement, but New Zealand, with all its unrivalled advantages, was lying helpless, too timid to make a strong, bold move. If the Government would not do anything then the people should take action. “Too Timid to Move Boldly.” In his address, Mr N. G. Gribble, general secretary of the league, said he believed if a workable scheme of land settlement .were started in New Zealand, not only hundreds but thousands of men would be forthcoming with the capital needed. The time had come for more courage and less caution. The present Minister of Lands believed in caution. The force of economic law would be so strong that if New Zealanders did not use their lands they would lose them to somebody else. The Dominion needed to get rid of get-rich-quick ideas and get back to the basic realization that its destiny was to provide the world with''necessities from the soil. During the period the present Government had been in office 134 land holdings had become available at a cost of £106,000. It cost New Zealand under the present system about- £7600 to give each new settler a start on the land. In Canada it cost only £5OO or £6OO to do the same thing. The project of land settlement should be the consummation of State activities in this country, and it should be placed outside the arena of party politics. Any report on unemployment which recommended increased taxation and omitted land settlement was worthless, and the league was fearful that that greater blunder would be made by our legislators. The league considered that the private enterprise should be' given encouragement to take up and develop land. If the Minister of Lands would not allow private enterprise to handle the position, and the Crown would not do anything, what was going to happen to the country? The sum of £lOOO was sufficient to set up a man on the land in New Zealand under wise guidance. A vote was carried expressing sympathy with the work of the league.