OFFER OF LORD NUFFIELD

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21728, 10 March 1936, Page 8

OFFER OF LORD NUFFIELD

Land Settlement

Scheme

TALKS WITH I'ORMEft

MINISTER

[THE PRESS Spividi >

WELLINGTC

'1 am completely :: :■- | about the reported ■-;* ' Nuffield to invest il '. ■ . ': 1> in settlement in N-v-. /1.-.■':•. :■:..*" a the Minister for La::..s. .. Hor_ p Langstone to-day. "1 : . ..-..- nothir.-* about it at all. u";•...-. -. r . - evens! tioiis took pk.ee bet .-.-.. L ~i field and the f^r:::.:■ 1\ :e:?r* £. Lands. Sir Alt red K: - . vre r » evidently in strict e.. ..;. -^ known only to the:v>. e "From a stutemer" : . .. Tv $.- Alfred in an intervi .-. D:-^ virke it appears te :.-.. Mr Langstone, "th„: ::■ . cf;» was made by Lor: 1. .11-e.i. £--i probably Sir Alfred :1. .-■ ;r. s- £ _ gested that a ia::a .......... .: -chen-je on the basis of e : > \\- settler to one Br:t:.-h . . .■ be affirmed by ::s ---'"-nts—. However, quite a «. ...-. .Lie::T.» has elapsed since L, ..1 "-* .::Ti?;f 5 first visit to N-jv: i'i-..-..-:. '.. the alleged otl't-r v.: .;.-e-\ c_; nothing was done in is. ::...tte:\ I: is clear that no rep ■:' v:- .asrr. 02 the subject: there c:c v .;..:.y r-y official report:- In tl ..-■ . . . ••; t.-.e Lands Department. "Now that the ietvv- ■:...., c„..~ tion lias been maj.* p::e..e :t -cerrj reasonable to sugge t t:t..t ';:.;• .-V;'rea Ransom should publish the -el: details of what took piece ee.v.eea Lord Nuffield and himself any land settlement scheme t'r.r. was discussed between the-:.:. ' Statement by Sir Alfred P.:in;OEi "I would like to make it clear that I was negotiating on my ov.::, -5 purely a private way,* >e.ic. Sir Alfred Ransom to-night, vent" isvited to comment upon the statement made by the Minister for Lands, the Hon. F. Langstone. "Ths matter had not been placed ; dors the Cabinet, and because I c.:i net wish to bring it before the Ceeixe; until I had something definite t > p upon, no official record v, ;-s . kes of my negotiations. Naturally my successor in office knows r.otr:- 4 cf the proposal. 1 "I made no announce:;:..::: : ti:e time, because the whole th re was more or less of a c..r.:ki":vt:a! nature, but I see no harm ;-. -vaking the facts public new. e pceiaiiy if this should lead to the rt. p r.n; cf negotiations. At the *;::;,■ •: m~ negotiations wiih Lord Nec--A-_'ld . took him on a tour of m-pocts. n =;; some of the lands the G we:"t:r.c~: was opening up for settle;:-.::. " have already explained be '■■;■■: I carrto get into touch with N\:n:eli through Sir Thomas "»",':■:•---". t.~i when I did so he aeenmrvrvi ~; to North Auckland. i-« Geeec and to several other bleci;:. ::r:r::ev.lar:v pumice lands, where he ves >'r-.-:'xz what the Government was ;!'":.

Settlers from Great Brital"Hc expressed himsrif -■-..- .-cr; thoroughly satisfied wi-h •> r.~?u!tJ that were being obtained, b. t •>.att wc got down to a busing? t •>;'-.- tion he indicated that lis vi;:: was to settle on the land people Great Britain. I did not feci ;..ii> ed in recommending Cabinet i" <r> bark upon an imrnigrane-n s>::~.-ctj at. a time of iincmp'--<y:ve"\ e'.'ft Ihough the whole scheme ; ? ;•> be financed by Lord Nuffield r - v«j v i7 st In Now Zealand. Il v. r. : ; ; '.'-'? been a free gift.

'•I told Lord Nuft>< id i!;.-.'. a .- "<:"* to place New Zealand imemri'V"?:: on the land would be v, :'i both hand but he did ;-,.>'. v.:-'- '.'* go past his own pc-mie. V'"*' '■"■' £ proposal that too scheme sh-'u'd i"* on a 'fifty-fifty' basis w;..- made. ?*i when wc pa vied Lord NVfnrdd me be would give it >ev;o;:.- c?> sidcratiom "That is the last I kv.-o crar'i --i it," said Sir Alfred. "I mvd that when Lord Nu:',;.• id -. V'* Zealand last week hj? w-dd ! i"? come as far as V."'.. iimiib-.-,. but '£ did not do so. It s c:rs t> me. h>vever, that it the pmci's ;i'>r. onpe? ? to the present Gnvcrr.imr.i. a'"'! '•' would consider omi-arkmu nc-c -~ immigration solum-, i- would ;"-~ be possible to remjen with Lord Nuffield."