UTILISATION OF THE LAND.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9047, 5 February 1908, Page 4

UTILISATION OF THE LAND.

At distant intervals warnings have been uttered by the press of the dominion as to what may be expected to happen should there.be a serious and protracted drop in the prices'of our staple commodities. Such warnings are little regarded in times of great affluence, and are needless when depression sets in. Long-con-tinued prosperity is apt to lead to a belief in the permanence of prosperous times. History, however, has a habi 4 : of repeating itself. .We have suffered periods of depression in the past, and may do so again. Is it not well to be ptepared for untoward conditions should they come along? The permanent stability of the dominion must rest on the productions of the soil, and a falling market, for our chief "products must be. met by an increased productiveness of the land. It is obvious that the landholders of : New Zealand are not making the # most of the land in the matter of production. Turn where .we may, whether the vicinity of cities, the moderate holdings in the neighbourhood of provincial towns, or the huge stations of the squatter, it is only too apparent that many thousands of acres of land are left unutilised, or are not utilised to anything like their real productive capacity, while many large areas are still in a state of nature. What a splendid return these unexploited, or but partially exploited, areas would yield under a system of intense culture, such as obtains in Denmark, Belgium, Germany and France. Denmark, a very small country, exports twenty million pounds' worth of produce annually, the result of the enterprise and energy of 250,000 small land-owners. The tenure is freehold. Ho'land and Belgium are also cases in point of the success of small holdings intensely cultivated. In France five and a-half millions of the peasantry are ,in possession of small holdings, and that country is credited with having the greatest wealth per capita of any European nation. In this dominion there is no intense culture such as obtains in the countries mentioned, yet there is scarcely a farm or station but could be made to produce far more than it does, adding to the prosperity of the holders and to the wealth of the | State. Sooner or later the necessity for. the fullest utilisation 'of the land- will be forced upon us, and the sooner steps are taken to bring about an improved condition of things the bettor for the country at large. The subject is one well worthy the closest consideration of the Government and Parliament, with a view to devising ways and means of encouraging land-holders in the dominion to follow in the footsteps of the European countries to which we have referred. With a system of intense culture generally practiced, not only would prosperity become more assured, but should a period of financial depression &et in, the country would be in a better position to outlive the evil days than would be possible under present condition's.

When Mr Cohen, at the sitting of the University Senate, last Friday, brought up the report of the Music Committee recommending' the establishment of a Conservatorium of Mueic for New Zealand, he stated he had been told that a Conservatorium would never be established, because every centre in the dominion would so wish to secure the desideratum that 110 one centre would let another have it. The truth of this is now being manifested, for Christchurch is already putting in a claim. The Cathedral City is usually first in the field with a demand for first consideration when any national institution is mooted. Hones ran high there when it was doubtful as to where the next sassion of Parliament would be held. Christchurch at once demonstrated that no place under the Southern Cross was so suitable. It was a bid that failed;*but the inland city has popped up smiling and hopeful again at the mention of a Musical Conservatorium. A long Press telegram has been sent out by special correspondents showing that in no other place

in the dominion are so many advantages to be found for the jrnjisical institution projected as in Christ- 1 church. Auckland and Dunedin will doubtless find that they have still greater advantages than those set forth in regard to Canterbury's capital. Wellington may have a cut in with the argument that no city can be so convenient as the seat of Government. The battle of the sites may go on for years. Meanwhile the professional musicians- will probably intervene, and by a federation of % their own destroy the chances of a national Conservatorium being established. A well-known writer on the laiid question, Mr Arthur Young, says:— "The magic of property turns sand to gold. Give a man possession of a bleak rock, and he will make it into a garden." It does not appear as if this were true of New Zealand. Whatever the reason may be, the fact stands out prominently that a large proportion of the rural population of .this dominion do not look upon their holdings as an abiding place—a heritage for their sons and daughters, to be handed down from generation tn generation. A spirit of unrest and speculation is rife in the country—so much so that .the land, let it be Crown lease or freehold, is continually changing hands. This must have an undesirable effect upon the future of the nation, and on the character of the men and women composing it. The rooting of men on the soil engenders a strong feeling of independence, thrift, forethought, and is conducive to all those virtues that make for building up a patriotic, happy and contented people, who in the hour of peril would be found the State's best and most > effective? wark. The Japanese Minister for War has dadared that Japan's military preparations are not directed at an> single nation, but against eventualities in the Pacific. He added that Japan's coast extended from, Saghalien to Forn:o3a; but the defining of the extent" of Japan's coast, on the part of the Minister, may certaihly be regarded as diplomacy, whatever else may .be„ said of, the rest of his speech. In Tokio the statement, as a whole, is considered inopportune, and likely to provoke ill-feeling among other Powers. It is certainly significant that the speech should be described as "inopportune," and the indiscretion of the Minister really amounts to no more than referring to a policy that is generally recognised, though its danger is not appreciated by those whom it is likely to affect adversely. Japan is determined to be the dominant Power in the Pacific, and if she cannot obtain her end by peaceful means, the alternative to which she will resort is very obvious.