LAND SETTLEMENT AND LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 542, 24 June 1909, Page 5

LAND SETTLEMENT AND LABOUR.

Sir ?7 lt • SCOI ? S strange that .all the that the real.: solution anonld .be as far off,as'ever; .'.Thete'is a uro. posal to fell bush by'the Gove'rhmeht. $ 0 w after tiventy-five yeara' ;experionco a bush settler, I say . that ; .what I Kave' secn 'of of road; work.;iindfir Public ?*• am .been a 'gigantic'farce.' Mv opinion is that it has ..cost at ; lei s fc twice a* much as the old; system; ■ .Knowing the difficulty. that a . settler experiences of. small contract bush-felling;.which is. more-'easilv supervised, and the settler, is looking after his own, ■on (his -own farm,:. I- am: surt that •"KB 6 '. : w«|« work :is "impracticable. ; Mr .Taranaki, hit the nail on 'thevbead when he, Baid '.that :wo want moro m'onev ''even if we- pay more for it; ,I, know'.'of large numbers of, settlers .who would do a lot of •pproveraent if money could be procured and u -l"? 1 ?: , Wo w ? nt i cash',",not a paltry ,£SOO, which takes six 1 months' to procure, but a fair advance. We have the'seciK rity; ,we cannot borrow, money privately mi our .land, as the. Crown have made onr outside, moneylender: afraid, , and it' has ''succeeded'.in' creating a -great' feeling of' insecurity among , the.: bii|h 'people' themselves/ There would be few unemployed in the toyfos to-day if we. co;uld,;persnade the people who are in power that the settlement 'of - land'his only started ; that ',we ftust first settle the millions of, bush and-feiji lands* then deal with the .largo unimproved estates - Personally, I 'know, < plenty -of settlers on the Rivci-pand round; Te Euitd who would sell out 'if they (puld get their own out'.again,;vmeii' who ■ have i* fajj \

grass- and. cannot-stock it, as with,• £500 limit ■,on. the. financs',they are. stuck., 0! what uso is the felling by the Crown when, if ,we can get money, we could do the work and; save supervision, and it will help us ont of a hole ? .What we . want is tho help of the towns,to,push settlement, not to block jf l . TT'th faddist land laws. Just trust the judgment of the bush' farmers, as they know what is suitable for themselves. Just think, you.men on tho. street, iyou, who would work and cannot, the Government are to blamo. Worry them: eo for th'ein; aye, the Opposition, too. Mage them sell tne waste lands and you, will not be short of work. New Zealand would have room for millions moro and .-it would ..increase its: exports by millions. The country is aU right, but the settlement policy, is all wrong. Use the Maori land if they won't. .' They have had a long enough sleep; wake 'them up. Make the Maori race pay its share. You. of the townß are helping to keep a Native aristocracy in luxurious idleness. —I am, etc., ■ AWAKE. - June 18. . ■ i