GALATEA PURCHASE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17, 21 January 1931, Page 3

GALATEA PURCHASE.

WHY NOT CROWN £ANDS ?

LARGE AREAS AVAILABLE,

Surprise that the Government should have acquired the Galatea Estate for closer settlement when, it already, possessed thousands of acres suitable for development was expressed by the chairman, Mr. W. Wallace, in referring to the question of unemployment at yesterday afternoon's meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board.

"Why could not the money have been utilised in bringing in the land we have already got?" he asked. ; "I have just returned from the North Auckland' district, where there are thousands, of acres available for development. The land is idle except in a few cases, and one small holding I visited was producing maize as fine as I have seen. Why does not the Government exploit a scheme of this kind? We want thousands of men on the land. Six. miles fiom Kaitaia there is the so-called great north road, which will be impassable in the winter. Why should not men be put on the land and given work ou that road? That would open up countrv which would otherwise lie idle for years."

Mr. E. H. Potter said there ' were thousands of acres of land situated close to Auckland that were capable of development.

Mr. M. J. Savage agreed that the Government had any amount of land without purchasing more. If the State would advance a scheme for the preparation of the land they would obtain any kind of artisan or skilled, labourer they needed.