IN DEFENCE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 27, 1 February 1923, Page 7

IN DEFENCE

DOMINION VALUES

PRIME MINISTER'S REPLY TO • MAJOR BELCHER, '

A statement was made last night b-i the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. W. P. Massey) regarding the report published at Home by the British :Empire Exhibition Mission, which toured New Zealand last year.

"I think we understood in Ne\j Zealand when Major Belcher and these associated with him came to this country last -year that their Special business was to ascertain what support would be given by New Zealand to the forthcoming British Empire Exhibition," said Mr. Massey, "and I cannot understand now why the members of the mission should have deemed it any part of their duty to report upon the financial or commercial position of the country, or whether its producers happened at the time to be prosperous or passing through a depression. As a matter of fact, while the mission was in the Dominion the 'slump,' as it is called, was uppermost in the minds of most of the people of New Zealand, not only her public men but producers themselves. ■: . ■

NEW ZEALAND NOT EXCEPTION.

"As for the value of land—land can be bought in New Zealand from £1 to £200 per acre, according to its quality, the improvements thereon, and whether accessible or • otherwise. I know of a district in the North Island where settlers make a speciality of potato growing, and I have heard it stated frequently that during the present season it has not been unusual for settlers to have made a profit of one hundred pounds per acre. I■" do not know what Major -Belcher or the members of the mission would think such land would be worth per acre, notwithstanding the fact that this season happens to be v particularly good one. . It is quite correct that for the past two years most of our settlers' have had difficulty in making ends* meet, but I think I am right in ,saying that New! Zealand' was not an exception in this respect. The position has changed, I am glad to say; prices for our primary products are very much better and the outlook improved accordingly. .

PEFENOE OF THE RAILWAYS.

"As for our railways, I do not know whether the members of the mission profess to be experts in railway management as in other matters, but they must have ■;. noticed that our railway gauge in New Zealand is only *3ft" 6in, as compared with 4ft B£in in older countries. We are handicapped, at any rate, to this extent, but I have heard men with great experience of working railways state that the business done by our 3ffc 6in gauge'in New Zealand for comparatively long distances was really wonderful. I knojr, of . course,..",.that New Zealand railways cannot compare with British or American lines, but the system on which we started cannot be changed except, by the expenditure of an immense amount of capital, time, and labour, so that we have to be satisfied jviith what we-have got, and with •careful administration make the most of it. This is altogether apart from local criticisms which %c hear; b,ut in spite of everything said to the' contrary, the financial results of our railways will compare favourably'with those in other parts of the Empire, especially during the difficult tinies through which the world is, passing since the Great War. , "As to the grading of our dairy herds, we may not have done everything possible in this respect, but I venture to <S»y that we in New Zealand are miles ahead in the grading of our. dairy herds as compared with any part of the Unif ed Kingdom. LOSING "THAT FBIENDLY FEELING/ "The line of criticism taken by the members of the mission who visited the Dominion does not tend to en6ourage that friendly feeling between the people of this country and Great Britain which New- Zealanders 1 all desire, nor' does it inspire confidence so far afe the exhibition is concerned. I sincerely hope that the exhibition will be a great success. In promising ,an ex-" penditure of. £60,000 from this country, I, as Minister of Finance, 'went as far as it was possible at the time; but, if we can afford a larger expenditure, and if it is necessary, I am sure there will be no cheeseparing on our "part. New Zealand will do her share in proportion to her population and resources, and I think that is all that can be asked for. "As for the remarkß of the mission in respect to hotel accommodation, I do not pretend that the hotels in this country can compare in magnitude with the Hotel Cecil, for instance, and other well-known West End hotels, or with the large hotels in Canada or the United States. New Zealand has not yet reached that stage in her development, but, speaking personally, I have done my share of travelling in the Dominion, and I can say that I have been as comfortable and as well looked after in hotels in different parts of New Zealand (which could be named if necessary) as I have been in much larger hostelries in older countries of the "world."