LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10305, 4 August 1911, Page 5

LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.

DISCUSSED IN THE HOUSE.

A PRONOUNCED EART'J HUNGER.

(By Telegraph—Presa Association.)

WELLINGTON, Last When the- House of Repve ives met this afternoon, the iLm. l>. Buddo moved for permissijn to lay ~ on. the Aable the report on. ih * Laiid for Settlement Aot. d Mr G. W. Russell said, in ciiuec- 1« tion wdth this matter, that then vai P an apparent dropping iby the Oovein- *■ men* of the Lands far S°t:l»nieti't ■» .Aot. If -the Government 'lid i- .t s take- up this matter at i/ne', ihey ii would and members on T he oth<a' a side of 'the House ÜBing it against a them. When the Govemmi'iit wsnuti 1 o to piuTchase land, a 'trump j'*>r w;is P sent out, and up went the i r:ce of o that land. - v Mr Forbes endorsed the iv marks X of the previous speaker. The Stills c meat of the people on. the land had ,t ' .been a feature of the Liber ,d ' fciby- o er-ranent, and he hoped the; -'policy 't would, be earnestly issued. " t -Mr Malcolm said the railui'O'of the * Government io acquire large estates * for closer settlement was a mativr aeriously commented upon .n ths c South. * Mr Laurenson' stated '.hat no Pio- * •wince was suffering from lard f-ggre- _■»■ gation as much as Oanterba.'y. Ihe £ Government was faced w. h .v vwy 5 £ nasty problem in this ronnoct'ou, " and it ishould provide a solution as I soon as possible. d Mr 0. A. C. Hardy urged the wo- f essity for idfcoser settlement. { Mr Wilfard JBaid there was a chart!) $ or delay in settlement of tne land in. J the country. There <wero a yreixt < many properties whSoh could have * been taken for closer sty-tfosneijt * ■which tcould not have been taken. He ' condemned party politics as being r*- * sponsible for (tihe delay in the ieitle- * memt of the land. There was far too } much time spent on debasing 4 ho J freehold and leasehold matter. Such 1 time could more iprofitably be f-pent; il on devising a way of opening up the 1 country. Mr EH, after dealing with tl.o Dec- j essity for closer setitlemcttit, Eta ted •■ •that the. most .barefaced bribe over ' offered to the electors ' (by Mar Massey, who went 10 Cheviot' and «wid, "Give me your rotes, and I will give you the freehold at the original cost." Messrs StallwortQiy and Jennngs J pointed out the urgent meed for getting people on. the land. Mr Massey said it hod .baeu stated ! in .the South that the Opposition would sell the endowment made prior to 1907, but that was not so. Many people werey under the impression joßte>ibg[\ Opposition., -was prosed Wf the leasehold, hut that was not 'SO.'. *.,""* He though't that when a man. took „ ■up Crown' land he should 'be able; in X M firbure to make that v land.his otrai:. " / eduqataoii was aJbt§ohat6lyC . 1 ' neoesteary to mabe a amaa thorouglxly oomipetent in the pursuance of his profession, and he strongly advocated the establishment of an Agricultural College in both Islands. Messrs Jennings .and* .Stallworbhy, ' : and Mr W. H. Field emphasised rthe sieoe&sity for agricultural enbrts and access being given to the land. Mr Fisher, who also ispokie on the question, moved ."That this House is of opinion that no legislation is satisfactory that doe 6 not provide for the cessation of the sale of Crown lands." The motion was ruled out of order as mot having a bearing, on the matter under discussion. The Hon. JV£r Buddo isaid that most of- the members on his side/ and some on (the other side of the House, t recognised that land settlement was ; being (carried on satisfactorily at present. The. Administration \was spending a million a year in land\ settlement. Two million acres had i been settled during the last financial year. They were not so interested in the maji who had .the L.I.P. tenure. That man already had land. What the present Administration was mostly conoe/Toed in was the man who had no land, and they were endeavouring to put that class of man on the land. The motion that the report be tabled was adopted.