LAND SCHEMES

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 219, 12 June 1930, Page 13

LAND SCHEMES

Work for Unemployed MR RANSOM’S PLANS Lessons from Denmark By Telegraph.—Preu Association. Dannevirke, June IL The Hon. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Lands, in the course of a pre-sessional address at Dannevirke this - evening made further reference to the Government’s proposals in regard to land settlement. He had enjoyed his work as Minister of Public Works, but recognised that in his new portfolio he had undertaken a position of the greatest importance to the progress of the Dominion. One of the principal difficulties confronting the Dominion was that of unemployment, continued Mr. Ransom, and in his opinion land settlement would prove to be the greatest possible factor in providing permanent employment in productive work. New Zealand was only partially developed. He hoped as Minister of Lands to be able to introduce into his department such systems of land development as would go a long way toward meeting the surplus labour problem. Millions of Acres. The land legislation of last session provided the necessary machinery, he said. It was the finest Land Act so far enacted for the development of our so-called waste areas. He was convinced that there were millions of acres 'of Crown lands which would ultimately be made available for selection in small areas. The great weakness of land legislation of the past was the fact that it contained no provision for financial assistance to those taking up such areas. Advances were nowavailable to any experienced man taking up sueh land, and in the near future he hoped to have hundreds of men engaged in development work. In accordance with its policy to create closer settlement throughout the Dominion, the Government would continue to purchase suitable improved estates foe subdivision, but in his opinion a much greater benefit would accrue to the Dominion by a vigorous policy of developing idle lands in addition to systems already in hand. He proposed to introduce something in the nature of group settlement, whereby blocks of land will be surveyed into reasonable sized sections and applications called for experienced men to clear portion of each section, construct roads, erect fences and hutments, and to take up subdivision when there was a reasonable prospect of the settler being able to carry on. It was not proposed to clear the whole of the land, but to give the settler a fair start to enable him to develop the remainder of his section by his own labour. Not Visionary. This, continued Mr. Itansom, was not merely a visionary scheme. He had advocated it for years and it had already been put into practical operation by the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata in connection with native settlement. . Referring to the possibilities X increased production the Minister stated that the Dominion had only touched the fringe of its primary wealth. Denmark provided an example which New Zealand could well emulate. It was only the size of Southland and yet in 1921 it exported £25.000.000 primary produce and £25.000,000 in the export of meat, principally pork and bacon. tive New Zealand exports were £17,000,000 and £9.000.000 respectively. He looked for tremendous development in the dairying industry throughout the pumice belt of the North Island, which had proved so responsive to modern methods of pasture management, and in which he believed a great deal of additional settlement could be provided. The Minister made a tour of the coastal portion of his electorate during, the day and received farmers’ deputations. He returns to Wellington in the mornins.