MINISTER OF LANDS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 19 June 1928, Page 10

MINISTER OF LANDS.

replies to criticism

NUMBER OF STATE EMPLOYEES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) MASTERTON, June 17. The Minister of Lands, the Hon. A. D. McLeod, opened a new bridge at Ivaituna, near Masterton, on Saturday.; There was a. representative attendance of settlers, and the Minister was enthusiastically received. Mr. McLeod gave a spirited- address in defence of the Government and went on to refer j to some statements made within the last few days to which be took exception. Mr. McLeod said that no man resented less than himself fair criticism. He was always prepared to “hit back as good as be got,” but be did not twist figures round for the sake of scoring. It was due to tlie press and to the people to consider for themselves the statements made at the annual meeting of tlie Bank of New Zealand. Apparently without consideration in the way of examining the figures, Sir Robert Stout, who was Minister of Lands when the speaker was only six years of age, requoted figures used by an American visitor, who probably did not stop more than 24 hours. Mr. MlcLeod said he was not criticising the right of Sir Robert to make the statement, but lie wanted the people to examine the figures for themselves. The statement was that “the Government had quite enough to do with the work it had on hand. For instance, there were now some 82,000 people employed by tlie Government.” That was a bald statement, said the Minister. A total of 22,224 of the' number mentioned were employed by the local bodies, and if the hospital boards were included the total was 25,969. Tlie Government had no control of tlie employment of these people. Out of the remaining 56,000, 17,246 were employed in the Railways Department, 10,384 in. the Post Office, 9845 in the Education Department, and 6583 in the Public Works Department, making a. total of 44,000 out of the 56,000 directly employed by the State. Mr. McLeod asked these critics where they could reduce these figures. They had not the courage to do so. Another critic, in an Auckland publication named “Farming First,” after a scathing condemnation of the ..Government, went on to state that 5,000,000 acres of land had gone back to its virgin state during recent years. The official figures were available to all those seeking information, and they showed that ever since the slump of 1921, although progress had been slow, the average area of occupied lands has steadily increased.

Another point Mr. McLeod wished to clear up w r as in reference to a statement attributed to him which bad bad a misleading effect. The statement was published in a press report of the proceedings at the annual conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association at Wellington It was asserted that he had said in an interview, at which the press were not present, that there v’ere a largo number of unoccupied soldiers’ blocks available for settlement. That statement, lie said, had brought him showers of applications for these sections. As a matter of fact there were not many attractive areas available. Most of the abandoned sections were in difficult localities and were largely unsuited for men with young families. It required considerable capital and experience to occupy them successfully. It was the policy of the Government to give preference to returned soldiers when soldiers’ lands and houses became vacant.