NEW SETTLERS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 6 February 1926, Page 10

NEW SETTLERS.

WHAT THE DOMINION NEEDS. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DISCUSSION. Various points of view in connection with the assistance to New Zealand of further emigrants were expressed by members of the council-of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce last evening. The discussion arose over a request to appoint a representative of the chamber to attend the Empire Emigration Conference, to be held at Wellington on February 16. The chairman (Mr E. Dixon) said that a difficulty we had to face was that the land available was not suitable for the class of settlers that would come out from the Old Country. He did not think there was very much good land left. It was no use bringing out artisans and men used to office work, as there was not room for them in New Zealand. The settlers wanted here were the farmers with money. Speaking of non-productive lands in the Dominion. Mr Dixon expressed the opinion that the Govorment should allow settlers to take it for nothing and assist them in bringing it into productivity. New Zealand raised its tariffs to protect its industries, but it was iust a question whether the better policy to give employment to British workmen would not be to buy more British goods. New Zealand was in a different position to Canada and Australia, where there were about three people to the square mile. Great Britain, on the other hand, had about 360 to the square mile. New Zealand was in a different position to other countries with regard to waste land, but she had a good deal of mineral wealth. Mr P. Bond said that there was now a definite trend cm the part of young New Zealanders to learn trades, and there was no doubt about it that continued employment was the salvation of the wage-earner. They did not want to bring artisans out from the Old Country to compete with onr own hoys. New Zealand had renljy good hoys who would make first-class tradesmen. The chairman thought that the time had arrived when New Zealand hoys should he encouraged to get away from professions, which wore inclined to he overdone. Mr B. C. Bennett said that as- fains emigrants were concerned we could do with numbers of farm labourers. The breaking up of large estates in New Zealand was another matter touched on, the chairman expressing the opinion that Hawera would not have been the place it now is if action had not been taken to break up some of the largo estates that used to he close to the town. After further discussion it was decided to leave the appointment of a representative to the conference in the hands of (he chairman.