THE GOVERNMENT POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 202, 15 August 1908, Page 5

THE GOVERNMENT POLICY.

STATEMENTS BY MB. McNAB.

In the course of a conversation with a lruth representative in (Jhristehurcli a <lay or two ago, Mr. McNab said that closl L,° £ ae l uirm S lar ge estates for closer settlement was being vigorously pursued as f ar as Canterbury was con arthf-j h \ L ? dpurdiascß ° a "«- at » present time negotiating for the b?,t ?L nh and . 80Uth of thc district but there was no' prospect of any subtCTear.* 11 " 1 " 8 *"". b^°W ' * WORKERS' HOMES.

On the subject of workers' homes Mr I MOM, said t„ at the sysfcn S' n „ ™nt a „ f SUCCeSS fr ,° m an ad »i"ißtraUve pomt of view, and in his opinion a better plan would be to lend the people the money and allow them to make A 7~ n f ?, rran f ments f°r building. At present the scheme did not pay, and bniM " d £ •'" better t0 let "£W loan t„ n t i hC n ° Wn and «W the »an to the Government. FAULTY CHAFF.

' rebtT"? "? atter discl,ss «'l was that relating to the importations of chaff l* 111 ' South Island into the North. Mr. McNab said that some little trouble had been caused in the North I s , tend, and it had recently been found that a quantity of chaff sent from Dunedin to Taranaki was very largely affected with Californian thistle? * The t*vcrnment were, accordingly, Sntroducmg legislation to allow of the seizure of chaff on that condition, otherwise the Californian fhnXle m i«»lit be earned all over the country where at present it was unknown. As far a* th° particular lot he had referred to"was' concerned, having no legislation to help them, had to buy the chaff, the intention being to destroy it, but a market had been found for it on board a ship and it had been disposed of in that way. WEAK FERTILISERS.

, - 'You will notice," continued the Minister, -that we had had some prosecutions m the North Island in connection with basic slag. There has been a keen demand recently for basic slag, and from information at our disposal the Department believes a low-grade article is being put on the market by some of the exporters from England. We have instituted these prosecutions to call public attention to this, with the ohjectof trying to induce the farmer to buy the material, not on the claim, but on the analaysis. Th* strength of some of it is just about one-third the strength of the best basic slags, and farmers are sometimes tempted to buy the lower grade when, as a -matter of fact, it might be two or three times as dear."

OREGON PINE. Reference was made to the importation o£ Oregon pine, and the protests of some millers and others in relation thereto. Mr. McNab said that the importation of Oregon pine did not come under his Department, but there was one aspect of the importation of outside timber that did. The Lands Department controlled the timber supplies of the Dominion, and those timber Supplies were being rapidly cut out. Every foot of Oregon pine imported delayed J the falling of the last tree, and continued the industry in New Zealand to

•that extent; but the end was certain and not very far off. It would come all the quicker if there were no importation of outside timber. It would be prolonged if Oregon pine did not come in. The introduction of outside timbers would bring home to those engaged in ■the industry that it was not to he with us always, and that they should make provision accordingly. With reduced timber supplies throughout the world prices must advance, so that the longer the cutting of our, timber was delayed the greater would 'be its rise in value, and the country would get the benefit of that advance. On the whole, he did not look upon the importation of timber from outside as an unmixed evil.