LAND SETTLEMENT

Feilding Star, Volume 9, Issue 3798, 16 August 1932, Page 7

LAND SETTLEMENT

A PROBLEM OF THE DAY .SUGGESTED SI'IIKME (Contributed by C. A. Philip) As this subject is one of the most vital at the present time as regards the future prosperity of the Dominion T may be excuse.l in still ventilating my views. Since the Reform Tarty wi re in power in various newspapers ami by correspondence to rations members of the Douse 1 have advocated n land scheme to relieve Unemployment: in a great measure. We have praetieally some three million acres of uncultivated lands in the Dominion liel 1 by the Crown and other sources. I maintain that fully a million of this area could be made lit for settlement. Tlie buying of lands by the •Government for some time to come would only be suicidal when these lands can be utilised. Reverting to my suggeste 1 land scheme again: When these large Mocks of land .are cleared of scrub, hush and fern, ploughed and laid down in grasses there shoul.l he the light to acquire suitable sections at a low rental, say, for live years, until the settler linds his feet and returns coming in. The initial stages in the carrying out id* this scheme would certainly mean a big undertaking. Rut it would inevitably he cheaper and inure profitable in the on 1 than locating work er.s here mid 1 iiiwc over H wide aren mid no real objective in tlie end of founding a workers’ settlement on a large scale. It very detail as to tlie making of sui-li a scheme a success would have to lie considered by practical men. Xu other channel, to my thinking, ajaieals to me as tlie land and that is where our wealth comes from. I believe llriiily ft would elleet the

growth in numbers of our unemployed. An increase ill ail our productions is imperative to successfully compete with all our competitors throughout tlie world whether it be wool, meat dairy pro luetioii, fruit. tobacco, honey, etc. It: all mounts up in our export quantity as well ns quality. A scheme of this nature would avoid the inlying of lands. Ten acres would not provide a living!! for a family, hut they' could easily be acquired up to say uO acres.