LAND WAITING

Evening Star, Issue 20255, 16 August 1929, Page 6

LAND WAITING

MR PARRY IS IMPATIENT ACRES FOR EVERY MAH . ' ' ■ " $ : [From Oca PiKLiAuresTiiir Hepoeter.] WELLINGTON, August 15. Painting a harrowing picture of hungry children and struggling mothers in need of clothing and the' necessaries ol life. Air Parry (Auckland Central) made one of the best speeches heard from the Labour benches this session to-night, when ho implored tho Goveunment not to adopt tho attitude that specially selected men should be the only ones placed on the laud being opened for settlement. Ho instanced the case, of Alatamata, once a desolate waste, and,said to bo a district of such light land that those who went on it would starve to death. To-day the niggest dairy factory in the world was in Alatamata district. The men who opened up that district were, for the most part, men from the mines. They took their courage in their hands, and, inexperienced as they were, went out and won success. BRAWN AND GRIT WANTED. “That can be done again,” declared Air Parry, thumping his desk top, “AVo have all the facilities, we have, tlio men and the land; all we want is a Government with grit and determination to do the job.” Air Parry said he supposed there were more unemployed people in his district than in any other electorate. Well he knew the distress of those people. Ho had wrestled with the problem of alleviating their suffering, and had come to the conclusion that the solution lay in land settlement on an extensive scale. The pumice lands offered the greatest opportunities., Recently he had visited the pumice areas with some other members, and had been deeply impressed by what he saw. He had met the settlers, men of as fine a stamp as one could find anywhere. They had tackled the job of breaking in the pumice land unaided, and had won oui in a bare-fisted fight with Nature., They had been given no sympathy and no assistance from the Government, no money from the banks; but had fought a lone fight and won out. Those men appealed to anyone who bad been throu<di the ordeal of fire, because they proved conclusively' what could be done with poor land. WHAT TWO BROTHERS DID. “Why should there be children crying for food when there were such possibilities?” asked Air Parry. Too much had been heard from our so-called experienced men about putting only selected men on to the land. That created bad psychology. The Government should set out to enthuse people about going on the land, rather than seek to deter them.

Describing what he had seen on the pumice lands, Air Parry said ho had met some settlers who had paid £6 an acre for their land six years ago, when it was in rough, undeveloped state. During their occupancy they had toiled hard and long, and last year their efforts were crowned with a net return of £BOO. It would be impossible to see a better farm anywhere. It comprised 400 acres, and it was an education and revelation to see the type and condition of tho stock. Those settlers, two brothers, had told him they could see no reason why r contiguous land lying undeveloped should not be broken in. There were hundreds of thousands of acres of the same type awaiting settlement. Great areas had been given over to afforestation which never should have been allowed to be anything but farm lands. “In yietf of what I saw on that pumice land, I’m convinced that when anyone talks about putting educated men from our universities on the land he is talking rot. It is balderdash to; talk about the right type of man. it was only tinkering and playing about with land settlement to put a few men op the land here and there,” declared Air Parry. “ The job should be tackled with more confidence and imagination.” In vain he had waited for the Alinister of Lands to get up and produce a bold policy. If the Government would only take 100,000 acres and settle 400 or 500 men on this pumice country great success would bo achieved. They could bo put on it to road it, fence it, and build homes, ami when that was done the Government could let them have tho land at suitable terms. “ I’m getting tired and I’m growing old waiting for something of this sorb to be done.” said Air Parry. “ Let’s get on. with the job. It’s never too iate. Good men with strong sons arc waiting for the Government to give them a chance on tho land. It seems that so far the Government has been onlv tinkering with this problem. I’m waiting patiently for legislation, but I tell the Government that if it won’t do it it will bo done some time. If this Government won’t do it sorao other will.”