REBUILDING.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 191, 13 August 1919, Page 7

REBUILDING.

THE NEW PEACE ERA.

DOMINIOI\FS BIG NEEDS. HOW TO HUSTLE THE CREDIT BALANCE. LEGISLATORS' OPINIONS.

Everybody recognises that New Zealand, Tike other countries allccted by the war, ha« to put its industrial and financial house in order now that the world is settling down to plough the fields of peace once more. '1 be war has loft us v heavy burden of debt, and the battle of competition is likely to make the load yet heavier unless our industries are developed and our production so increased that the balance of exchange gives us an evci-wiucuing margin of profit. How bent to bring about early result*, especially by stimulating closer settlement, is the great question, and the opinions of some of our legislators on Hie subject should be interesting.

"It can only be done by the co-opera-tion in thought and action of every section of the community."' said -Mr. •). A. Young. M.l. tor Waikato. "Development on a rapid scale must be our guiding rein, an.l the State must encourage in every possible direction industrial progress and increased production. Kail wa\* and loading for opening up the interior of the country, hydro-electric development, and ihe rendering navi-

gable of our inland waterways, are urgent quest ions in our public works police, and then there is liunncc wanted to aid all r'.awes of the community both for settlement an.l establishing busi-

nesses. The State mast al-o give more generous attention to the establishment of new industries, especially with the view to the utilisation "of the ra>v materials produced in the country.

Large quantities of wool are being exported from this country for luck of means to treat it ill the Dominion. 1 and others have already been interesting ourselves in this important matter'with a view to the establishment of works in the Waikato. With the aid ol" modern machinery 1 am satisfied that seedy and other low-grade chides of wool c»n be successfully treated in New Zealand.

"Another important industrial de- | velopment which promises to play a hip ! part in the economic progress of the I North Auckland Peninsula is the in I nuguration of some efficient methods of I treating the reputed exhausted kauri

j gum Hells, particularly the swamps, for j the wealth of chip gum which they coni tain. I am certain from investigations I I have personally made on this subject | that we are on the i-ve of new develop

nients calculate 1 to revive the kauri gum industry, bj making it profitable to win low grade "inns. Experts are satistied that although a vast amount of rum wealth ha- hcen won from the northern soils, there yet remains to be won. by a proper use of machinery, a neat deal more than has 1 n won." Mr. Voting also expressed the opinion . hat the State would be required to i •ledge its credit to a much greater ex en I than it had done to finance indivlI.nils engaging in rural occupations. A'bat had already been done for the ■ ett lenient of soldiers was only a beguiling. In addition to the soldiers it bad o be remembered that there were thousands of people in New Zealand, nanv of them families who had sent heir sons to the war. who had not yet Hcen able to settle on the land, but who were anxiou-Iv wait ing a chance to do -.n. The-Kf people, he «nid. would require lo be aided' not ontv with land, but with money to purchase stock and implements. He was convinced that the altitude of the Government towards the captains ol industry would have to he readjusted in the immediate future, and capital would have to recognise its responsibilities to the workers. "The great lesson of the war." added the member, "is (hat govern ments have learned to think and act bi<~ and h'nld. especially in all matters nllecting national finance and State action. That is tin- outstanding need of the! Dominion. A big hold national policy of land settlement, of new land where pos sihle. as well as the subdivision of large estates, generously aided by State guaranteed finance to the persons taking up the land, with the object tenfold Unproductive power of the country."' ANOTHER SEVERE CRITIC. TIME Til END TAIHOA METHODS. Mr. A. Harris. MP. for Waitemata. a'so laid narticular stress on the necessity for an expeditious opening up of land for settlement in order to increase the income as quickly as possible. '-Hut it is a remarkable fact," he added, "that in spite ol* our boasted soldier settlement scheme the land is not being opened up any more rapidly than it was before the war. T quite recognise the activity of the Soldiers' Settlement Department, but this merely mean's tiie settlement of land by soldiers which previously was being occupied by civilians, for whom it is now quite, impossible to find hind. It appears to mc that the present land board sy-stem is altogether too slow an.l unwieldy. No doubt the land boards are endeavouring to do their best, but the inachinerr

handicaps them hopelessly. If competent land committees wore formed iv the various districts with [lower to net on their own initiative very much more expedition would soon be. in evidence. Speaking about native bind, Mr. Harris said he would like to sec more anxiety displayed I by the Department in resuming those lands on behalf of the Crown, for yenripast the country had boon led to understand that the.Government was acquiring big area's of native lands in the Urewera. As far as lie had boon able to discover, all acquisition activities in this area had ceased, and many thousands of acres, which under a progressive land policy might now have boon available for settlement, was still lying unproductive in the hands of native owners. It was about time the Taihoa policy ended.

On the subject of fostering the secondary industries, the member was not so enthusiastic. He recognised that it was necessary to encourage certain local manufactures, but he pointed out that New Zealand was a country of primary products, and must depend almost entirely upon them for increasing its credit balance in its trade, relation's with the outside world. New Zealand was in the position of being asked to help feed a hungry world, and the sooner she got every acre of her cultivable land into a producing state the quicker would our own financial burden be relieved,