LAND-DEVELOPMENT

Korero (AEWS), Volume 2, Issue 9, 8 May 1944, Page 22

LAND-DEVELOPMENT

Many years ago a politician coined the slogan ; “ Go North, young man.” He was referring to North Auckland or,

as it is preferred—and I think wisely—by people there, “ Northland,” a constituency which he represented in the New Zealand House of Representatives. For many years Northland has suffered from the stigma of being poor in the quality of its land and roads. In comparison with the length of its occupation, the birthplace of British settlement in New Zealand, it has not made the progress it deserves, and it is to be hoped that the thousands of young New-Zealanders who have served a term there in the Army and Air Force will have realized some of its still latent possibilities, especially those of them who desire to take up farming as a livelihood. At once it will be said there is no land there worth farming, and in any case it is too hard to get at. This is but to repeat a popular and fallacious cry. Northland offers many valuable opportunities and a pleasing reward to those who will but look at it through practical eyes. Incidentally, as I have inferred already, it has been neglected, to a large extent, so long that there are many such opportunities still waiting. All that is required is a progressive policy of land development and settlement to meet the situation and open the way to the fellow of initiative and enterprise to get places as a farmer. My purpose in writing this is not to “ sell ” the Northland, but, as one who has spent some time in land-development in several parts of the North Island and who is now reaching more mature years, if not wisdom, to draw attention to what is possible and worth-while to the young

men who are serving and have served in this war as I do in this and did in the last. More than this, we need more men on the land, even as we are bound to need more production from it. We need more production here and now, but all we can hope for in this is to stem the decline and in the course of the next two or three years regain the decrease we have suffered through one cause and another in recent years. To put Jack Browne on Bill Jones’ farm is not “ land-settlement ” —it is only land exchange, and, too often, adds nothing to our production from the land. And Bill Jones probably only takes the place of Tom Smith on some other farm, while Tom may give up farming altogether. How, then, are we to improve the position ? There is only one logical way, and Northland provides a more complete answer than almost any other district in New Zealand—-land-development (that is, to “ break in ” some of the more suitable areas of idle land so plentiful there).

There is little to be gained now in saying that such a project of landdevelopment should have been undertaken in the early days of the war against the time when men returned to civil life. The fact remains it was not. Of course, the question arises, Is it too late now ? I submit for your discussion that it is not too late. In the first place there is our need of greater production of primary produce, a need likely to be acute for many years to come, certainly

while Britain and Europe are being rebuilt and re-established. Following and co-incident with this is our own need of “ greater population,” with some, at least, of this on the land. If we imagine that with the defeat of any overcrowded race we have freed ourselves of the likelihood of their resurgence, or their desire, if not demand, for more room for their peoples we delude ourselves and deny one of the cardinal principles for which we say we are fighting and which are laid down in the Atlantic Charter. If we desire to keep our little country in the occupation of “ white ” men—together with our “ brown ” Maori brothers —then we must see to it, and at once, that we make greater use of it. This can only be done by land development and settlement, about which so much has been said and written in the past, but which now should be brought to the stage of accomplishment. Much of our idle acreage belongs to the State, and so has no more than a nominal value. Labour, machinery, both these are to be had, and will become more plentiful as time goes by. Roads, telephones, electricity, we have shown already what we can do in these. Housing, we can do this, too. But you may say : What about the surplus produce after Europe finds her feet again ? My answer : That question is as old as farming in New Zealand. What is your answer ?

“ Trooper.”