PRIMARY PRODUCTION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10670, 15 February 1926, Page 7

PRIMARY PRODUCTION

RELATION TO MANUFACTURES. OPINION OF HON. A. D. McLEOD

AUCKLAND, February 14. In the course of a tour of the north, which he has just concluded, the Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. McLeod) has made many speeches to deputations as well as at general public functions, and on each and every occasion he has referred in some form or other to New Zealand's primary production. ' He has expressed the opinion that the Dominion would never become a great country on its primary industries alone. At present they were the lifeblood of the country, but with the coming of hydro-electricity the primary producer must link up with the secondary, industries, and the two must go together. To-day he considered New Zealand was close to the maximum of its production as far as primary industries were concerned. There w r ould be increases, but they would be slow, he- 1 cause, there was very little land here that could be developed quickly. This Dominion could, and should, however, increase that production on the lands which had already been tfeveloped. Our imports were between £5,000,000 and £6,000,000 above our exports, and the community must import less of what was wanted as well as less of what it did not want. It was for that reason that he advocated the development of industrial as well as of primary products.

Better Results for Wages.

This country had to get better results for wages paid in connection with its industries and pVoduction before it could hope to compete with the outside world. Close on 99 per cent, of the Dominion's exports were primary, and should be protected. Commercial and primary interests should be identical to-day, and commercial interests should be made to recognise that fact. They must consider their costings. As far as primary producers were concerned it was a recognised fact that those engaged in primary industries received less wages and worked more hours than those engaged commercially, and the former must be in future studied in every way. He was; strongly of opinion that the commercial people should fall into line and assist primary production, otherwise it would be bad for the community as a whole. It was not the duty or function of the Government to mix up in business. Tho6e people responsible for producing primary products had a hard battle to fight, and in his opinion things could not go oh, especially when the banks, the insurance companies, and other such institutions were giving their shareholders 11 to 15 per cent, dividends, and men on the land could not get advances to develop their holdings.

Crown Lands

On many occasions during his northern tour the Minister for Lands, the Hon. A. D. McLeod, has been asked to open up Crown and Native lands. He has been emphatic in his answers, and straight from the shoulder. Mr McLeod ha 6 declared that till the cost be obtained down to the last farthing by his Department and his officials to bring such land into a. state of cultivation, he, for one, would not put people on any more land. He wanted to know ' definitely what it would cost per acre. It was all very well for farmers and settlers in various districts to say that land could be brought in for £5 or £6 per acre. That might be right. He would not for a moment doubt their Avoid, but he wanted to know for himself by experiments and otherwise what settlers should expect to get off the land.

Buying Lands,

There were men, thousands of them, he continued, asking the Lands Department for land to-day, but in his opinion that which his ..Department had to offer was not good enough. He could place 10,000 men easily, but the class of land held by the Crown in some districts w-as not suitable for all purposes. He was not going to put men on the land if in a few years he would have them walking off. That' had been done in the past, but it would not be done in the future. If he, as Minister for Lands, agreed to buy land to-day the price was prohibitive. His own personal opinion was that land values would have to come down a long way before New Zealand got to the point of purchasing land for settlement.