DISTANT FIELDS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 111, 1 May 1908, Page 4

DISTANT FIELDS.

Distant fields are ever greeu. (jueiiuland belli., appear to be very I . io a numixrr ol our ivln i arc ' v'ing inuueed by a firq) from that j i euii ,i* to sell out their Xew Zealand ia: re»ts and take up property there. ' According to the provincial secretary ol the Auckland Fanners' Union there in a uanger Of a good many oeUlers leaving .New Zetland unlesa present condition, arc altered. " I do not know," he said to the Auckland Herald, "of any .Northern settlers who contemplate leaving the Dominion. There u no doubt tbat the high land valuations in New Zealand, and the slowness of the Gov- i cm ucnt iu throwing open lands for | •Vtiviion, coupled with tile eV.raordinnj Uoore under the present lav. are the chief factors in indue 1 ng our farmers to w*k land c kewhere. :'■>• extraordinary Unure 1 mean the . ■ years' lea-e, which no man wants as . ; -niicr. It wiii be found that the reuewai cither under the 33 years' or lue oti I vtfco' system, will Im as dead as Caesar before this decade in out. The 99 years' I«*M has gone, but something hi, ,' may eonie.' Continuing, Mr. | (■aiiand, the secretary in question, said tlft insecurity of tenure would always had men from a country where it existed to one where the tenure was secure. and where they could drive their st ikes home. It was true that our Government land valuations were ex- ■ eecdingly high in some parts of the Do- ' minion, ana also that in Queensland land which could formerly be bought for " from £2 10a to JC3 per acre was not now »Tailable for less than £7 per acre. Again, bo man who had visited Australia wold fail to recognise the im-

nienaity of tlw country, and its great ] fertility at 'all times, other thau in drought teaaons. The drought, how- : ever, wa» th« drawback, not only in : Qoematad, bat in other parts of the Commonwealth. Asked whether, in view of all the ei.'cumstums, he looked upon Queensland as a serious rival in respect of attracting aetttere, especially having regard to the advocacy of Queensland's claim* by I iptain Robertson, Mr. C.arland replied, " \es, and no. 'Yes/ in so far as fieenstnad's accessibility to markets - r >neerned, and *no,' so far as its eliatie conditions are concerned. 1 giv« . e palm to New Zealand for climate. •»1 I hare been in both places. My im--essina is that, given similar tenure*, -w Zealand is far ahead of Queen,l,l." "Doe* it appear to you." M". t .rland was ai>ked. u that the presence ri this country of a special pleader for Queensland should -lir the Government in an effort to keep our farmers here?" •• Yea, it does. If tlie New Zeal.i'i I ( ovenunent is wi-- it will make a r»ng bid to keep nir young farmers here. That can only Ik- .lone by giving t'icm security nf tenure to make the limis they farm their own. When yon . me to realise that has J .1(1.000,000 acre-, of bind, it goes without | saying that there is room tliere to '< tit and come again.' In this country w» I >ve only a tenth of that area. Stdl. we have great advantages over had in our insular |K>sition, a* "i"i pared with tlieir continental one. ; 3 1'' produce can lie largely transported i steamers, wherea* theirs has to go by road and rail, and it i- needless to sa • which u thc cheaper. Again, our geographical position will always warrant a temperate climate, whilst that of VueroilaA'l makes it subject to beat wave*, which those who live there kno.v to their cost." When asked to give his views on the subject, the Attorney-General I Dr. Kin I lav) *t«ted that he had had occasion a, t solicitor. to consider the price of I:iml in Queensland, and from tlw in formation which lie obtained when visaing Australia he dd not think that (>ueeik>Uuid was suitable for the smatl settler who had not much capital. " I think," continued Dr. Findlav. " th.it with the assistance which the C.ovcrnmeat afford-, here, Xew Zealand is in finitely better for the small settler than i I'leenslaml. I do not think that there is likely to be a large exodus—l should -ay no exodus at all—of Xew Zealand er„ to Queensland. One swallow does m not make a summer. When the legislation of last smmner tuts come fairly into r>; iv there will be an increasing amount »( land available for closer settlement. . especially in the North Island, with the opening up of native land areas."