The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1929 IS LAND SETTLEMENT THE REMEDY?

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 10908, 28 May 1929, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1929 IS LAND SETTLEMENT THE REMEDY?

The it: will be general satisfaction jr, voiiuccliim with the new Governjm.*nt’s enthusiasm in the mutter o' the promotion of closer settlement, even if the majority of the electors do not agree- with its contention that only b-v that means will the. unemployment difficulty be ended. Jt will have been, noted that there were about .120 approved applicants lor the 12 sections in the new settlement near F'ei Id.i ng; which was recently opened lor selection. In respect ot a privately-owned estate that was lately subdivided in Hawke s Hay, just as strong evidence was also afforded that there is, to-day, a genuine land-hunger. According to the Minister lor Lands, eight properties have already been acquired -by the Government and. although they are all on the small side, the Government will lie aide to claim credit for having made a start in connection with the inauguration of its policy in respect of land settlement. flic properties that have- heeu acquired are. it would seem, most suitable lor mixed farms and for dairy farms. “By opening up the country to

small farmers,” Sir d'oseph 'Ward it marked at Blenheim on Saturday night.” we shall settle the. unemployment problem.”' .IF, however. closer settlement is to proceed at only a snail's part*' it will, assuredly, take, a. long while, to grapple with the unemployment problem. As a matter of fact, tin; new Government lias not yet found the real remedy lor unemployment. Denmark, as the N.Z. Worker points out, is subdivided and settled almost to perfection, yet it has. to-day, its thousands of unemployed! For all that, it is essential that closer settlement shall proceed in this Dominion at as great a pace as new settlers can he profitably settled. If Denmark had lsoen less intensely settled, her unemployment problem would, unquestionably have been much more gravy, to-day. Jn Auckland recently, the Hon. J. G. Gob be, it will have lieen noted, averred that the landholders of this Dominion were deliberately handicapping the Government by demanding prices'that were too high. Ho acknowledged, however. that between 200 and 300 estates had already been offered to theState. The Government cannot, of course, expect to have* properties olforod to it at a price which amounts to a sacrifice. In the circumstances, why doesn't it carry out its threat to acquire some property under the compulsion clauses of the Lands for Settlement Act? That is the answer that will be given to it by those who question the sincerity of Air. Cobbo's plea that the prices asked of the Government for properties are prohibitive. Unemployment in this Dominion cannot he cured within a reasonable, period as a result of land settlement, for the simple reason that, event if land settlement were the remedy, the Government has frankly admitted that, at the. moment, it has not at its disposal sufficient- funds to enable a

substantial land settlement scheme to he -undertaken. The unemployment problem ■ has, ' unquestionably, to be solved as speedily as possible' and we believe, that the discussions on the subject during the coming session will greatly enlighten the new Government as to the futility of its.claim that land settlement alone is the. remedy.