THE LANDS POLICY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10350, 13 March 1925, Page 8

THE LANDS POLICY

ADDRESS DY THE MHJ3STER.

SETTLEMENT AND PRODUCTION

(Special to the “Guardian.”)

GERALDINE, This Day. The Minister of LMids (the Hon. A. D. McLeod), who has been on an extensive tour of the South Island on Departmental affairs, delivered an address in the Geraldine Drill Hall last evening. The Mayor (Mr J. Kennedy) presided, ■ and tnere was a large attendance. Mr T. D. Burnett, M. 1., was also on the platform. The Minister was introduced by the Mayor, who said Geraldine was highly honoured to have been visited by a Minister of the Crown. * Mr 1 McLeod said his speech had been declared a policy speech, hut he had no authority and no intention to do so, but he wanted to enlarge on the lands policy of the Government and to review the political situation as he saw it He had that day received a telegram from the Prime Minister stating that his health was improving, and congratulating Geraldine on their member for the district. The Lands Department was one or the most important of the portfolios, and there was a fear that the people as a whole did not know how much the success of the country depended on that Department. That the Department was one on which a proportion or the people should lean, was an erroneous impression abroad. In the Departments of Lands, Railways, and the Post and Telegraph, there was no less than £100,000,000 invested, and if they did not pay there would have to be a call on the taxpayers. There would always be times of depression, but the sooner the people got into their heads that the Lands. Department was not a charitable institution the better it would be for the country and the people on the land. He was strongly of the opinion that the Department should be revenue-producing. The Minister then detailed past history of the Department’s progress and activity.- Referring to the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement policy, he said the Government had invested £30,000,000, or nearly £25 per head of the population, in the scheme. No other country had done anything like that. This money he did not look upon as being lost. A great many writings-off would have to be faced, but he would not blame the men for going on the land, ifor the whole cry of the country had been “Go on the land.” It was not a loss entirely, either. To bring back 100,000 men from the Front was a big thing, and it could not be done without a great expenditure.

Primary Produce Export.

Referring to primary products, the Minister said the * latest statistics showed that primary exports amounted to over 96 per cent, of the total. He had no definite figures for the present year, but he would not be far wrong when he said the primary exports would amount to 98 per cent, of the whole. „ , ~ Dealing with coal, the speaker said, that 25 years ago, New Zealand coal was known, all over the Pacific and up the American coasts, whereas to-day the Dominion was an importer of coal instead of an exporter. Co-operative mining had gone on successfully, but the unions were now opposing tne scheme, to the extent of declaring the coal “black.” This was a tlung that was eating into the vitals of this country, whicL before long would hay© every industry “white-anted by such tactics. What did they find- m New Zealand? Secondary industries turned into distributing agencies for trusts, which had no more bowels of compassion than had the Labour leaders. The subject of deteriorated land in the South Island was also touched upon by the Minister, who said the costs or running, rabbits, and insecurity .or tenure were the chief things bringing about this deterioration. Dealing with labour, the Minister said the inefficiency of labour was driving men to the cities where they came under the influence of the unions. Through the drop in wool prices and the stoppage of work on \ji© wharves by strikes. he regretted to have to shy that the exports for the year '’rf'ould not reach the hoped-for £*0,009,000 mark.

Land for Civilians.

He had decided that, the time h-d arrived when, while the soldier was not to be cut out. the civilian must be settled on the land. In this connection he was not going to purchase land unless he was certain the occupier would make a success of his settlement. There should be a scheme of taxation that would compel the large landholder to sub-divide his land, while _at the same time encouraging sub-division, a Sting that was greatly needed in the ominion.

The question of cheaper money was next dealt with by the Minister, who, in quoting £13,000,000 as the sum authorised, and uie sum of £11,000,000 already paid out to farmers, said no other Government had done so much for the settlers. At the same time, the State was gradually coming to be looked upon as the only lending medium in the country. The Main Highways legislation then came under review'. While the means of money-raising were an honest attempt to maintain the roads, he was of opinion that the proper tax was the petrol tax, which would now be in force had it not been for the farmers ° P fn t the Minister dealt at length with housing and borrowing and proportional representation. ,-A vote of thanks was accorded’ the Minister for his address.