REMEMBERED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1937, Page 7

REMEMBERED.

HON. JOHN BALLANCE.

TRIBUTE TO PIONEERS.

MEMORIAL UNVEILED.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

PALMKRSTOX NORTH, this dav.

Memories of the late John Ballance, intimately associated with the political life of New Zealand, were revived yesterday when a memorial stone to him and to the pioneer settlers of the Ballance district, which was settled originally under his land settlement scheme, was unveiled. The stone, taking the form of a granite column, stands in the grounds of the Ballance school. Present at the ceremony, which was pei formed by Sir Alfred Ransom, were a number of the original settlers of the district. Sir Alfred [»aid personal tribute to the people of the district, and declared that it was only fitting their work should be tangibly recognised. As foi John Ballance, lie had never heard anything of him but what was to his credit. He had lived for the people, giving service and making sacrifices for their welfare. As a leader he had been particularly gifted, and had realised the advantages of land settlement. His work had paved the way for Richard Seddon, and undoubtedly the foundations laid by Ballance had contributed to the iiiccesg of the Seddon Administration. The move towards land settlement was one which could well be furthered to-day. Sir Alfred said that when Minister of Lan<is in the late Government, be had made it his mission to get as much land under production a * possible. He had shown that much land regarded as unsuitable could be made to produce, and he instanced the pumice lands of the Waikato and the gum lands of North Auckland. Notwithstanding the fact that there were many estates, too large for anv one person, which could be cut up," there were also large useful areas carrvin" no population at all. ' ~ The most fitting way in which New Zealanders to-day could honour the pioneers was by nutting the interests of others first. Self-interest was at the bottom of many of the troubles of today. declared Sir Alfred in removing the L nion Jack from the atone to reveal the following inscription: "A tribute to the Hon. John Ballance. 1380. and to the early settlers of Ballance, 18S6-189f>.''