THE BASIS OF PROSPERITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 101, 1 May 1930, Page 6

THE BASIS OF PROSPERITY.

( Very few residents in the cities of Nejv Zealand recognise adequately how vital it is i to their prosperity that an active policy of ; land settlement and development bo followed by the Government of the day. The Minister of Lands in the late Reform Govern ment expressed the opinion that New Zealanc had reached the limit of possible provision foi the sum,ll settler. Had this been true, or wen a Government continued that acted on tin assumption that it was true, the Dominioi would very quickly have drifted into i state of hopeless depression, if not nationa bankruptcy. It has been very widely forgo ttei that during the last four years of Reforn administration some thousands of people' wer< forced off the land. The party of the bii landed interests was wholly indifferent to this disastrous drift. The practically tax-fret squatter and his big landholding friends stil remained, and Reform was a very good fellov with the few. But to the unfortunates win had to leave the land, having spent their all the name of Reform Avas anathema, and to tin city worker and the city business man tin drift townwards spelt one thing only—blacl depression and ruin. Our memories are sureh short. All this was well understood a brie] eighteen months ago, and as a consequence oi the knowledge the Government received : signal reverse. But to-day we hear peopli championing Reform, entirely forgetful of th< fact that it was tho most disastrous ant inefficient Government that this country hac suffered in its brief history. The Governmen that took the place of this political scourgi may not-have done all that many hoped. The? have had little time. But at least they havi faunched an active land settlement campaign the vicious tentacles of the big land octopu: may not have been removed, but they hav< been loosened, and the prospect of increase! production, happy settled rural landholder! and a general prosperity is dawning. Make n< mistake: without an active policy of lane settlement the future of ilie cities is a parlou: one. Let every elector who goes to the poll 01 Wednesday next remember this fact. Tin question of settlement of country lands i: as equally vital to the town voter as to tin actual farmer—lt means all the different between poverty and prosperity.