CLOSER SETTLEMENT AND LOCAL INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10630, 8 May 1912, Page 5

CLOSER SETTLEMENT AND LOCAL INDUSTRY

; COMMITTEE APPOINTED. | Alt; the meeting of the Masterton Bbrou fe .i vouncil lae.t evening, Or J: \V. Ewingtcn moved ha His Worship the TvTayor and . Crs. Temple, O'Leary/ivonaM, and himself, be set lip as a comam'ittee to rftarther the cutting up of estates, with a view to, closer settlement in the'district of 'iVliasteuton, an also to endeavour to create an ia wrest in the development of local industry. Or Ewington sand that Mbeterton ha*, now arrived at that stage when, it was necessary for the j development of the town, to put up land in the surrounding district, and so encourage population. In. tihe South Wasrarapn ia great deal had been done in this direction, with the result that the district was in a flourishing and , prosperous condition. iMaisterton had missed several splendid opportunities in the past, diue iia most cases to the Land Purchase Board refusing to pass the purchase of the estate's by the Government,. If the proposed comirlLttee were appointed it could do much to further 'the question., and could, make en quiraes regardiing suitable eedlates that miighlt. be acquired for settlement, and he was quite s nre that a great amount of good c«ild in tljis way be done.

In. reference to docs! industry, Mr Ewington stated that he was quite aware that people were not anxious to invest capital ait. present, owing to the unsettled lalboua- conidfitions prevailing dill over the country, but he'' thought that something should ibe done to create industries in the town and, district, which' would result in. increased prosperity and greater population." The qaiestiioni of tihe..establishment 'of woollen onii'llis had been frequently discussed., and; he wais in, favour of this ; , as in. a district given so much to sheep farming, isuch an industry .should be a success.

The Mayor,' in seconding the. motion,, said that the idea was' a good one, and he wa,s siure that good could be done by the matter being taken up %y a com/mitltee, .but he pointed out that the committee must act air together independently of the Council, which he thought had no jurisdiction in a. miatter ot tfiis kind.

Or O'Leary said that he would be pleased to act on tne Committee, provided it acted outside the Council entirely, a.s the Oouiicu .had quite enough business of its own,'to attend to--He thought, however, that it was irather late to take up the question of closer settlement, as many of th'e ■most 'Citable estates were already taken up, and he was afraid they would have to go further afield if they wanted land for settlement. Cr Chndy thought, that the matter of the aggregation of estates should also be dealt with by the Committee* as he thought it was useless cutting up estates if after a few years the jltad revcjjted to one or- two owners, a,s had been done in a number of cases in, otter dx'brictis. The Mayor said that aggregation of estates 'had been going on in the Masterton district to a far greater extent than, the oratitling up.' The members of Itlie committee were informed, that a. meeting would be convened at an early date to discuss the matter in full.