THE PRIMARY POLICY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 626, 4 October 1909, Page 7

THE PRIMARY POLICY.

V-:;" v:. 'LAND SETTLEMENT.,-, s- -;,-■ ■ "/''TAIHOA 1, GOVEBNMENT'S FAII.UBE : '■/£: MILI(I6nS, OP IDLEACEES.'-,; .' .".,, y '-■■ (Dt TelegttDh.-BDeolal OotrcioonoenU ;- ; ' • ■ . . Auckland, October i, ■'.- "This country needs nothing more badly thoir itwßiits a vigorous policy of land settlemeniwith: security of tenure," .declared Mr. Vfi ' K , Jfassey,' Loader of tho Opposition, to your ro>prcsontativo to-day..'. .. : , '. .',.'.> The remark aroso oat of a conversation on tho Bangitikci election, and Mr. llassoy. went a.very curious position, an ex*, traordinary position, had arisen.,. Two or Jthree years /igo Cabinet Ministers werp loudly' do-.! daring that tho Government hail nailed the loasehold colours to tho mast an»), -.'.. .tera were, going, on. to. plntformß' to'., support 'candidates'whb declared theuieoJves straight- .. out freeholders.. The other nig!;t, Mr. Eecd, . M.P., at Kawakawa, declared that nothing but' ■"■ tbo freehold, would do. Thus aroso the curious ' ■■ position of members pledged to ,the freehold supporting a Government that had declared it .wbuld stand,or fall by; the, leaschold. ; "The fight for the frcohold is going on," declared '. Mi. Masspy.. "It Willinevcr slacken till it at-,.'., tains its object, and no quarter will bo asked. , and , none given in that fight. Tho Eontiinent is gaining ground daily, and I certain thftt in a very.lew years l'arliainont will, wherever itis possiblo to dp so, give, tho option of the V freehold to Crown tenants and over alt lands ■ trbwn open., '■-■ '/.' .'-., .-.-■ ■.";■.'.;■■./. ■•', ■;".■'■ Room for 43,000 Farms. ■'"T.'Thd :Governnient has.pei-sistcntly: blocked all movements' for the opening up of Crown-, and. Native lands,: and; thereby: hasplacod a>, broke I 'on of. progress. liow, great-. that.brake has been is really realised-by. very, ' few people in this country, probably becauw, , only a low have fmured out what a vigorous land settlement policy would mean to tho Do-, minion.. Under tho present policy of stogna-,' ... tion, industries are being, handicapped, enter-. prise isbeing crippled, town and rural business!: alikois being hampered: and our young, men. ■an going off to Quconsland and Canadti and >, other countries;" -.'."■,■ '■.' . ■.*'■,• Mr. Mossey went on to say. that in .: theNorth Island.Vout'of a total area of 28,450,520 •. acres, therp were about' 15,000,000 acres not ia.:. profitablo-iOCcupation,. whilo according tp Gov- .. criiment officers only about .000,(100 acres of that.';' lot'wero unfit for settlement. In tho SoUtV Island, 1 out ofd ; total of; 37,450,000 aores,< there . .were over 20,000,000 acres' not in profitable,bo-.. oupation 1 ,. ef which'Wiout',9,ooo,ooo' acres were,,.unlt for settlement. Some of tho very;richest land in th 6 Dominion - was included in- they. 13,000,000 aeres unoccupied in tho North Iα land; Taking as an Averago 300 ncres to a farm, . those idle;ateft'e would inakb 43,000 farms;..'.y; , , ■':'."' : '■■:, Viyilnlstere', Figures not" Candid.; .; -:^-.

.The' Hon.' Mr,' Buddo hod boasted. .Government was opening 195,000 acres ( in;. one month; but Mr. Buddo: forgot toadd that. out,.-, of that total "over 100,000 acres consisted■'„«. : >a- ' few large sheep ruus;oa';;pastoral>;liconse; an<i ;-■ thY remainder .included''a number.' of, second-n ■ class', areas, ottered' mainly .under ' renewable, ' lease. . proudly, ex-,' ■ claimed that the lands opened for-Eclectiim m: September totalled/19,389 .acres,..but again Sir, ~ Buddo forgot. td'adm'iV that; 5326 acres pfjth&t,, lot werei in one pastoral'run iu.Havrkos Bay, at: a' rental'of .£33 Cs. peryeur,-; and t tliat.tluv. remainder-, tfefo'Scattered sections, the;- , ma.prices s of Kill od.''and ;#, per acre .indicating;their worth, and olso. the. worth of Mr. Buddo,l ; '■statements.. *^; , ; i 7--•>.•''■ T\ v>'-;i raV , ! ' : >V'^': : '. ■Itvnot tneari to.th'eVDoVilinion, : town-and country alike,"' : added',?Mf.• ilassey,■•/ "if 'thoM idlo areas now hold by the --.Crown 'and' the Natives' were. ■ opened for settlement ? , After'moTo , thancnoukh had been reserved for, : the , use of tho 'there -would -be, vftst : , areas, MM! l * l .! '<>pene«l. *•>:.■" settlement,- vfould v mean' 'an'vcuormb'ue 'lnc're.aser.mi'.our.. exports.!. Land is only, Worth'any thine; to a State. wh«n> it is producing.- What ie Auckland drawing from; *«■ millions of Idle' acteef'vNot. α-sftdt*ot.potsiv ■'toesia'. year. -: Think' ofthirty;million, fcrcs. I in! this Dominion adding no thins Jo its exports,',-. iand'-think :of the huge'; money/lose the _lpckln§ : ,upVof. these; lands represents' to New Zealand .. ianmUllv I >■; Ey^ry■■ olaM; in. the community is . nrtisan,. tho MJojkecper, tht: nrofesaionallmaiii'nud. the couflfry worker ara all Every Industry tfni ; cwry ( buiiJ, nes9in;towiv or" country^is.beinr'robbed of tt; niuch;.,trado:and.'intere,hahseby. the: failure, to open/Up-: thaddlo: Native; Md ißrowp' lands. - J . K-f' ; S';'Kr T l« : - : P^ l ! , 9?f!^f l '; ,^i c i;"''; ■ "question f"'aek«d/-the, interyiewer. ;•..■;;,', ■"■'"<■ ;•.'.'ft,;hasn't got piic'V.l.aughinglyrenlied.Sir.;. -Mossev; f'eiecpt•'nr'torn'-und-; patched apolopy. thftt 'ha'S'long since lost, all-soniblance of its . briginftl formir.Not .so'-'long aeo it. was a, ■;sttaight-o.iit ltehold. policy...;-Then,', as th&> wind seemed'tn blow,in-.thO:Othur ; direction,; tho ; " flag that : had' tiein nnilcd- up ..was taken'dbwn, •' jiM'.i h'ftl f-ind-lialf itort; of. tkinß-.was substi-;' •tiited; : .Ndw ■ that's 1 gone,;-■'■'liha'■■' banner; labelled'-'Tafhoa' ; is' at, tW masthead, and Min- ■ istere'hro sitting'round- on fences watchine it;.; 'anxiously to 6eo:'whero tho -wind' is, coming:: frbni; 1 think they'll got a bit frightened; a.; ,little-later and. paint l the, word 'Freehold*, be- <■ ,side --'Talhoa.' . The- fact' of tho matter Iβ-,, ithey're badly i,ii need .of ;a policy, and,.l-will,, present -them", with one free, * polioy of vigor- : oub land settlement oh the optional tenure, and jl'jl'noil it toy the .roast; for tjicm. •The man'. ■whO' goes qui tholand: has: to. foco years of..' 'hard, henyy:, toil ;. .'hjs;wife has to- dp; work.-.-' .that:'.ie not • woman,9;. work>. They'.'.want•■:. M maka iaV Jidnw-rit; .is , . , too '-jort-.-.ftf.j..-.a-:, home that takes them into, the : bush; and I. say.;th6y- have the/right, to know, when:that.\ .home,is made,,arid Hie selection'is bearinß.the ; '.harvest of.. their ; tpili that i'the/pldcei-is ■ their,' ; '.'v'i.?.-'f,^V■":■■•>':■■'•.' ; j. :..;■■ '^;'O'.;■/••;,■'.■■ :■;' ;;,...;■ Whet Landl .Settlement Would- Mian. , .;, '.; ; ■!'!■: wonder : wliat' soilie of: the town wirkeri"; will say when-I-tell .them. that, it would'pay'-'" the Stat* to bp>ii the-Millions ofiidlo acres free.', -to :.would-be.settlers, ;ait'd that.'it-'Koul^meail::■ more' wark 'ttud-gfcßter- trade in the. town» : if and.Native 'lauds were ■:■ opened? There w.ould bo awnvfc of settlement and a tide of prosperity in town and country, : the -like-"of' which?, this country has never: experienced, and; tho: revenue'.- that would 'pour', into tho State coffers would carry' th 6 railways through'"' to' : tholl , ''destinations iat ■-&■•- rate.that would.cive.the present Public Works ' Department palpitation of tho heartr Wβ had an acute unemployed problem , recently.' Would, there have been any \iu6mploymorit if it hadn'tbopn for the.Taihpa latitl:policy?'.: What , keeps.." your port koeps your 'fac'tprles;-: joing, yeurishops and .wai'chouses openP-Mrhat keeps -your whold'.city alivO ; but i the;volume;. of'producb pouring in from, tho occupied coun-'; try landP ■ Aiid,.tlicrcfore l 'what but tho opening up of tho land is going to swell. your trade : and lncreaso your.prosperityP .What ft: big: thing it wouldibo for Auckland; for instance, -. iif;-a million aorcs,in.Auckland province were . thrown! open to-morrow. The impetus, would. be felt in every-vein and . every, : artery .of ;

work and' business" throughout Auckland pro-. VincOi,' Wo .'want,' ft" vigorous , ' laud i ■ settlement/, policy in this Bominioiu Wo don't want to., lot -our countrymen wnfldtf to other fields, ■and ■•■ I • bolieyo tho : people .of ; New Zealand are' toe(finning' to realise thnt.if the present Govern-* moiit wont on to. tho country on its administra.'..' tion, inoluding the administration of ..Crown and Native lantjs, it would,meet with the severest kind of treatment. at the Hands of the -\ electors,-: It is b. curious thing {hot 'thu.present Government'is ( 16d■' Liborft!,'; whereas. the reaj Liberal policy is being urged by tho Opposition." '.'>■.•;-.■;■.■■'■;.;■■■"'■■>■'• ',' : - ; -* V;/; . ; . ■ : ,/ >V; ; : ■V ,; -Native Land Sophistry.' ': '.K ; ; iii further •■■ conversation- Mr. Massey".• noted that Mr, Vowlds had lately joined Messrs. Buddo'and Cnrrpll in /attempts to justify the Government .on i tho.-; land, settlement '• question,:, and tho three, -, between them, had Succeeded In making such a mess of it that tho Frimo Minister must bo feeling, rathor- sorry they, hadopened their mouths./ Mr. Fowlds'e Native land, figures wore afutilo and empty explanation; i! Mr. Fowlds said 2,790,400 acres of Maori land" : were''leased rin - ":v(il'i6us J ~*ays 1 , : but Mr. Fowlds probably didn't know, .that tho " settle; nient '".■■ was ft mere nothing, compared to what ■■■ it would , be'if the:'same...area woro cut up ■ Mid thrown open on tho optional tonuro. '■■ Tho conditions of Maori 'looses were so absurd that"' tho genuine: settler would , not,touch them with a forty-foot, pole driven , to them by the ! acute land hunger; i Those -2,890,400 acres wore not-carrying as.miiny Bf.ttlers)as!Boo,ooo-.,()crc?/ would."•, it :j openedi under: ,thc .optional -. tenure • [ .It would be mcroly;-wnste.'of;ltiuio:. to go. ;fur-ther-into , ; Mr.>Fowlds's figures; -ther wercso"■•'■ absUrd to anyoue who )tne*. tiiiything ofthe.situation. ■;, wanted, settlement;.' l not empty explnnations-py Ministeis who didn't know tho '• first principle of laud Mttletucjit. : : ' THo Govornment was apparently,content to go on trying to blind the people ns'to tho actual, facts of ( thovlookihg-jip .of tho .Crown lands/ ' arid, loavingi: tho. Native land problem to theHon. .Mr, Carroll, who in sixteen years had accomplished nothing. Dut this was a'young ' and^vigorous , country, a country that would . progroßS and become great and sooner or later'it would woke up and glvo tho Lib- ' Sral GovcrnmantanditeTaihoa policy a shock' that would send some Ministers into private ■'■■'■ life Io? a very, long time to cotao, ■