LAND SETTLEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 12, 15 January 1929, Page 19

LAND SETTLEMENT.

CONFERENCE CALLED. NEW POLICY FOR DISCUSSION. MR. FORBES ON FRUITGROWING. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day.

The Minister of Lands, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, has called a conference of 'his officere to discuss kind settlement on Wednesday, January 23, in Wellington. The Minister will preeide and the conference will be attended by the Undersecretary of Lands, members of the Land Purchase Board, and all Commissioners of Crown Lands.

Mr. Forbes intends to place before his officers the policy he proposes for expediting settlement, and it is probable that a further statement regarding the Government's intentions in this respect will be made immediately the conference ends.

When speaking at a luncheon given by fruitgrowers, at which he was a guest yesterday, Mr. Forbes remarked that as Minister of Lands, and being responsible for the settlement of the country, he was trying to get as many men as possible on the land. He felt that they had to look for the expansion of such industries ae orcharding to bring about closer settlement. The whole essence of fruitgrowing was that it brought a return from a reasonable-sized holding, eo that it was an industry in connection with which a good deal of settlement could be effected. At the inception of comtneroial frtiitgirowing be could remember that the Government gave a good deal of encouragement to people to go in for orcharding, and many growers who started enthusiastically found that there were many more problems in it than they anticipated. At the commencement, when they had in mind alluring advertisements showing apple trees breaking down under big loads of luscious fruit, and nicely dressed people walking about, apparently doing nothing, it was like the Garden of Eden.

The Hon. H. Atmor«: Without the snake. (Laughter.) "The enake was there," eaid Mr. Forbee, "in the shape of the woolly aphu, eodlin moth and mueel scale." Hie own experience in planting a farm orchard, suggested to him that with the millions of peste which had to be dealt with, the farmers found it almost impossible to run an orchard; in 'fact, if he had to maintain his own orchard it would need eo much attention that he would ihave no time left for politics. (Laughter.)