The Feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties Gazette. MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1908. Land Settlement.

Feilding Star, Volume II, Issue 528, 23 March 1908, Page 2

The Feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties Gazette. MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1908. Land Settlement.

" The Government Avas determined to assist by every means in its power the people in the interior and remote parts of the country." Thus spake the Premier in the far North tho other day. Sir Joseph Ward, during tho past month, has been having tho time of his life, from the educational point of view. He has had his eyes Avidely opened regarding the roadless, back country, and the demonstration has been made by the very beit vehicle for that sort of emphasis — a motor-car. And if the lesson has been sufficiently well learned, the neglected pioneer settler in all parts of this island will reap the benefit. But it takes many lessons to teach a Premier anything when it means money. And it does mean the courageous spending of much money te do justice to the settlers avlio have carved and are still carving homes out of the bush away off the beaten tracks of settlement. But the Government will have to work out some scheme for wiping out the stigma of neglect; for It cannot fairly continue te urge men to go upon the land and not keep the promise of providing good roads. The country is upon the eve of a most important development of tho land settlement policy, the opening up of the longlocked native blocks. Upon this question the Hon. »Dr. Fxndlay, who is one of the ablest members of the Cabinet of Cleverness, said something interesting in his speech at Cheviot on Friday night. The Attor-ney-General said — If I were a settler here or elsewhere in New Zealand I should look Avith watchful eyes upon the native land which, within the next twelve months, will be rendered available for European settlement. Immense areas of good native land, now either noncultivated or very partially cultivated, will be declared available for European settlement before the end of the present year. It is impossible to estimate the area accurately, but it will probably amount to two million acres. It alAyays has te be borne in mind that the North Island, having regard to fertility, is much less closely settled than the South Island. For example, there are 11,917 holdings in Canterbury. Of these 10,714 are held in areas of 640 acres, and less, so that Canterbury is probably more

closely settled than any other provincial district in the dominion. The guiding rule of tho Government .should bo to promote settlement in such parts of the dominion as at present aro least closely settled, or inadeqnately cultivated. The concluding sentence of tho above quotation from Dr. Fimllay's speech emphasises tho point we wore already driA'ing home. Jf the Government seriously tackles the land settlement question, it must do as speculators in towns and cities are compelled to do Avlien they subdivide blocks of land — make good roads to the sections to ) be disposed of. It is all very Avell ' to hoar tho Premier and his Ministers loudly and proudly declaring that " the Government will push on as A'igorously as oA r er Avith the purchase of large {-states under the Laud for Sett-lemon t Act." What tho man already on the land and the man aa'lio may he tempted to become a settler wants to he; r struck is that iioav and truo note: "The Government will provide nrlecjiinto ronds to all settlements." Given such an assurance, there is n»* doubt that the settlement of this island will go ahead tremendously.