THE FUTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1922, Page 6

THE FUTURE.

■ NEW ZEALAND’S EXPANSION. AIR. AIASSEY LOOKS AHEAD. Mr. Massey has eat in the House of Representatives -for twerity»eight years, eighteen years in Opposition and ten years as Prime Minister. In that period he has seen the population of the Dominion doubled. He has seen the meat trade grow from comparatively esmall beginnings; he has seen the dairy industry come into existence and expand to its huge dimensions of to-day; he has seen New Zealand leave behind the status of colony and become a partner of Empire, He has sat in council of the nations as the representative of a State. “A long span,.” he said on Sunday, in the course of an interview at. Auckland. “I have always had faith in New Zealand—faith in the land and faith in its people—but I don’t suppose I would have ventured twenty-eight years ago to prophesy the changes that. I have witnessed, yet we are just at the beginning of the development of this country and no man may set a limit to our future. There is work ahead for many Governments, and our grandchildren’s grandchildren, guided right, will continue the building of a great nation under our southern skies. Alay Providence help us to lay the foundations squarely and firmly.”

What is your vision of New Zealand in the next twenty-eight years? asked the reporter. Air. Massey paused a moment 'before he answered. “We will increase our population to 3.000,000, perhaps 4.000,000,” he said. ‘Our rate of natural increase is exceptionally high. Official immigration is going to continue, and people will cqpie here on their own account. in increasing numlJers. There is no more attractive field for immigration in the world than New Zealand, and the inquiries that reach me personally from many lands are surprisingly numerous.

“Then we shall continue to increase our exports, not perhaps as rapidly as in the past, since our local consumption is growing all the time. We can double and treble our output of dairy produce; our exports will become diversified; and we shall make notable advances in the secondary industries.

“I doubt if many people have realised fully the significance of hydroelectric. development. The Government has in hand a national scheme that will result within a few years in making electric power available in every district of the Dominion. The work is'proving more expensive than we anticipated, but it will be carried to completion. We have had an illustration of what that is going to moan industrially in Christchurch, where new industries have come into existence and old industries have expanded under the stimulus of easily available power. Nobody can say today how far we will go in the secondary industries. I know of one big New Zea-

land firm that is opening an establishment/ in Australia for the distribution of its agricultural implements and machinery. It can compete successfully with the Australian manufacturers on their own ground. Electricity is going to be of enormous assistance to the farmers.”