MEN ON THE LAND

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 28 January 1933, Page 7

MEN ON THE LAND

THE BRYANT SCHEME SETTLEMENT IN WAIKATO OVER £19,000 IN HAND. 'ilia land settlement sponsored by Mr D V. Bryant, of Hamilton, has appealed strongly to the public, and at a time when people are very hard un it is something of a feat to have collected over £19,000 (says the, “Auckland Star”). It will be remembered that the Auckland Savings Bank offered £IO,OOO provided Mr. Bryant collected a similar sum from the public and he is now within sight of the desired sum. Mr. Bryant himself gn\ o £IOOO as a start. ■ . .. . “There is still £9OO to get before J can possibly launch the scheme. said Mr. Bryant on Saturday last. 1 have definitely stated that unless we receive £20.000 we cannot start. People have been so wonderfully generous that J feel sure we will soon reach tlie desired goal I would much appreciate it if intending donors' would send tneii donations without being waited upon. Mr. Bryant said that unless tlie £20,000 was forthcoming within a reasonable time he would have no option but to return the donations and leluctantly give up what .lie felt sure would be a splendid scheme it it could bo carried outSpeaking about Ins proposal to settle men on the land. Mr Bryant said someone would have to tackle tlie problem. There were far too many men m -tlie towns, and until there were more men on the land the country would never ~-et out of the present trouble. It was a case of either the Government settling the men on the land, or of private” individuals doing it. He considered it was impossible for the Government to be successful fin the commercial world, and we should not look to them to do the impossible. He thoughtit was a case for tlie people to help themselves and get themselves out of difficult times just as they had weathered national calamities in the past. Mr. Bryant said he considered experienced farmers of a district- were the only men capable oi £clministeririo- a land settlement scheme soundly - un that particular district.- Lhe need of some definite forward move at the present time was most urgent. The time had come when the moral of the people should be considered or more real value than material assets. In tlie past we had been rather prone to over-estimate the value of our material wealth and possessions: to-day the moral of the people was the test of the real wealth of a country. Without a sturdy, self-reliant population on tho land, men and women determined to make careers for themselves, the Dominion would never be really great. In acknoledging additional amounts Mr. Brvant emphasised that the £19.111 was all in cash. Some peop*e thought some of the amounts represented gifts of land, but that was not so; the whole amount was in cash.