DOMINION PROBLEMS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 5 August 1925, Page 5

DOMINION PROBLEMS.

LAND SETTLEMENT AND IMjVELG RIATION.

DISCUSSED BY MIN’IST KIR, (BY TELEGRAPH VRESS ASSOCIATIONWELLINGTON, Aug. 4. Land settlement, immigration and other -problems Avere discussed by the Minister for Lands, (Hon. A, D. McLeod) in- a speech in the Hoai-se tonight. , | ■lllie Minister -said that much had been made of the Auditor-General s report, -but every item dlseusised Avas explainable. It Ava-s not -always practicable to carry out the strict letter of the law, and if he lia-d done so- there would not have been a single soldier .settler on his- land who Avas a month overdue with his rent, lor lie would be compelled tu sell him up. The AuditorGeneral had stated that the Landis Department had not adopted a, -proper system of audit. The stores in his department Avere mostly in the hands of surveyors, and he kneAV of no system of audit Avhich Avould account for every-thing used in a survey camp. If surveyors -took a tin of kerosene into the Urewera country were they supposed -to return the tin to -show -that the kerosene had been usted? Complaint had been made that the Valuation Department had not been used in purchasing land for soldier settlement. This wa® not so. Local information AA - a.s used and every effort made to get the fullest information, regarding -all tlie -land in question. No land was purchased without the fullest investigation. Charges of permitting -aggregation in land had' been levelled against the Government. No one was more -against aggregation than he-, but he was not aware of where this aggregation was. Indeed, i.t was very difficult to say what was aggregation. It had been said in -proof of aggregation that -scho-ols were being closed, but this wa.s no proof, as in many -ciasit-ricits schools were closed because old people continued to occupy their farms while the younger generation sought land elsewhere. Hi-s proposal to- increase- conveyance duties might nob be a complete remedy, but his idea w'ar-s that when land ownens sold their land they would sell it in as .small -areas a-s possible. There was ro-oni lor difference of opinion -about an agricultural bank, li tlie Sta-te guaranteed such a bank the State, must retain a considerable share of control. Personally, he thought that with islight modifications the State Advances Department could be made to meet a,LI requirements.

A. good ileal had also been said about settling pumice lands under the British overseas settlement scheme. Personally, he had not been aide yet to find out what this settlement .scheme was. Much fuller information was required. it .appeared to hint a.t present that it would bo I'oLly to put. British immigrants on pumic© lands to solve a problem which the best farmers in the Dominion knew nothing about. Linked up with the question of pumice lands was that of cheap fertilisers.

One of the dangers in, front of the freezing industry was the fact that largo sums of capital were being sunk in buildings and machinery, and they were rapidly getting into a position in which the freezing industry was in too many costly buildings. This required careful watching, because it- must be remembered that whatever the cost of production was it must be borne by the industry.