LAND SETTLEMENT SCHEME

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21727, 9 March 1936, Page 12

LAND SETTLEMENT SCHEME

PROPOSAL BY LORD NUFFIELD ALTERNATIVE offered by MINISTER (PRESS ASSOCIATION TZLIOKAM.) DANNEVIHKE, March 7. Sir Alfred Ransom, former Minister for Lands, revealed in an interview to-day that Lord Nuffield, on a previous visit to the Dominion, had a project in mind for putting a considerable amount of money into land settlement in New Zealand or Australia. Sir Alfred made no definite statement of the amount which Lord Nuffield proposed to spend, but it is understood to be £1,000,000. Sir Thomas Wilford had advised him to visit the two Dominions to ascertain the/possibilities for himself. Before Lord Nuffield arrived in New Zealand Sir Alfred, who had been informed by Sir Thomas Wilford, got in touch with the visitor by radio and consequently Lord Nuffield’s project had been discussed by them. Lord Nuffield’s idea had been to settle unemployed men from Britain on the land: Alfred at the time had not felt justified in recommending the Government to enter into a scheme that embraced only British immigrants, and asked Lord Nuffield whether he would be prepared to consider a scheme for settling New Zealand unemployed on the land. Lord Nuffield took the view that as his money had been made in England he would like to do something for the working people. He had promised to give serious consideration to Sir Alfred's proposals that a scheme be worked on a 50-50 basis, one New Zealand family being settled for each British family.

When Sir Alfred heard that Lord Nuffield was again visiting the Dominion he hoped to be able to reopen the discussion, but as Lord Nuffield’s stay was so short on this occasion the discussion could hot be resumed. Sir Alfred intends to discuss the matters with the present Minister for Lands, the Hon. F. Langstone, when in Wellington for the opening of Parliament.