EXTRA EDITION UNPRODUCTIVE LANDS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 127, 26 November 1923, Page 8

EXTRA EDITION UNPRODUCTIVE LANDS

FOSTERING SETTLEMENT

DEPUTATION TO HON W. DOWNIE

STEWART

(BJ TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

AUCKLAND, This Day; The desire of the New Zealand Immigration and Land Settlement League to co-operate with the Government in fostering settlement of the Dominion's unproductive lands was explained to the Minister of Industries and Commerce (the Hon. W. Downie Stewart) by a deputation from that body. The president (Mr. Spencer) said the league realised that our future prosperity rested upon the steady increase of rural settlement and production, and was making an effort to assemble the soundest thought on these matters and educate public opinion with a view to obtaining a mandate from the people to strengthen the hands of the Government in removing obstacles to our further development. It was stated that the opinion reached by the British Overseas Delegation that immigration must be based on a land settlement policy to permit of its absorption was inevitable. The Minister said that statements as to the drift to the towns were subject to certain explanations not generally taken into account. One was that statistics as now compiled made city and urban population appear greater than it really was, as alterations in the law from time to time made possible the formation hi boroughs in localities which were truly rural. Another factor apparently lessening rural population, he thought, was the introduction of so many labour-saving devices. If production remained as good as, or better, than before with fewer people, that, to some extent, qualified what, was known as the drift. We were not likely to have any great metropolitan areas, as in Australia, although Auckland was lending in that direction. Mr. Stewart suggested that, as Minister in charge of immigration, the Hon. W." Nosworthy - would shortly be visiting Auckland, and the views put forward might be laid before him.