"USE OUR RESOURCES."

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 197, 21 August 1929, Page 19

"USE OUR RESOURCES."

DANGERS OF IDLE LANDS.

VITAL FACTOR IN PROSPERITY,

Illustrating the important relationships of increased population and the use of natural resources to land development, Mr. N. G. Gribble quoted some arresting figures to the Karangahape Business Promotion Society in the course of his address on national efficiency. This, the speaker stressed, unquestionably involved the encouragement of intensive settlement, the outcome of which was more people to buy, sell and to produce. New Zealand was lagging behind, while other countries, especially those ravaged hy the war, were forging ahead by leaps and bounds as a direct result of policies of rural settlement and industry, a decline in which was always reflected in a national fall in the birth-rate and other retarding conditions, including unemployment. Importance of Population. "In 1928 the total increase of our population/' said the speaker, "was 14.G per thousand, about half the 1901-6 rate. By migration last year the increase was only .5 per cent or 799 persons—probably the lowest in our history. There were 146,380 people on the land in 1923 and, 132,799 in 1907. Despite the richness of New Zealand there are only 14 people to the square mile, and for the purposes of instruction I would like to give the population density in other parts of the world, especially in Europe where increased settlement has brought increased population and greater production and prosperity, in spite of the Great War setback. Without Russia, Europe has 122 people to the square mile, with Russia 171, U.S.A. 37, North America 18, South America 9, Australia 2,. Japan 2500 and China 1200. These figures show that not only does our national economic position depend largely on settlement, but our very existence is at stake." Impressive Figures. "Dealing with our resources it is interesting to know that of our sixty-six million acres of land, only four million are unusable. Eight and a-half million acres are producing and forty-two million are lying idle, of which four million and a-half acres are virgin bush. Roughly 150,000 acres are now available for selection in Auckland province, but not taken up. The figures I have given include 200,000 acres of State land in North Auckland, 210,000 acres in Waihi district and 385.000 acres in the Rotorua and Taupo districts." Mr. Gribble added, as an instance of "wrong-headedness" the title of "Inferior Lands" given' to King Country .land which produced a net re- j turn of. £300 from three acres.

"The greatest tiling we can do for our country is to get busy and use our resources, keeping ever in mind • thai; the greatest asset is population," concluded the speaker, who was , enthusiastically thanked for his progressive ,ideas 011 a vital subject. , Mr. Gribble is an enthusiastic officer of the New Zealand Land Settlement and Development League, which, he pointed out, is undertaking very valuable work to foster the principles of Jand settlement. ; ' '•