THE H.B. TRIBUNE. THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 15. 1923 UTILISING “WASTE" LANDS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 283, 15 November 1923, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE. THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 15. 1923 UTILISING “WASTE" LANDS.

Although one may need to be of sanguine temperament to have much hope of seeing it carried out, there is still nothing that is in any way fantastic or even impracticable in the scheme of immigration and land settlement outlined in a report submitted a day or two back to the Council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. This report, which came from the Empire Trade and Development Committee of the council, sets out that up and down these sparsely populated islands of ours are large tracts of idle or undeveloped lands, gum and pumice lands, swamps, and lands requiring irrigation, all of which would respond bountifully to the application of capital. In many cases such holdings where privately held are of doubtful benefit to their present owners, and, in fact, ofttimes prove but a sink for good money in the shape of land and other taxes, local rates, etc. The owners of all. blocks of sufficient area, it is urged, should be made to realise that it is directly in their own interests, as well as in the interests of the Dominion, and that the present affords an exceptionally favourable opportunity, to profitably dispose of such lands to British companies and societies having capital at their command, for the express purpose of settling Britain’s surplus population in the Oversells Dominions,

The report proceeds to the recognition of the need for organisation at this end in order to meet the manifest, indeed emphatically expressed, desire on the part of the British Government to assist with capital any well laid plan for settling within the Empire emigratns from the Old Country. In response to this it is suggested that, in addition to our ordinary Government land settlement and immigration activities, the following is a thoroughly sound and practical method of largely assisting in both directions:—(l) A selected list of twenty or more blocks of second and third-class lands, including State and private lands, which, after, say, three or five years of development, would be capable of close settlemnt; (2) that special legislation be passed next session to demarcate such lands as

“British migration lands,” exempting same from land tax and local rates for a period of from three to five yars; (3) prepare all ncessary data—plans, soil-surveys, reports on expert treatment, rainfall, necessary roading, drainage, etc., and also plans showing how same will be capable of subdivision for close settlement; (4) offer such lands (together with data of development

schemes) lor sale to British com panies, societies, or associations at the present market value; (5) such companies, etc., to undertake to forthwith develop all lands purchased, not with the object of farming, but providing capital to “break in’ the lands ready for close settlement, and to resell to Britsh migrants at the price which will provide interest on capital not exceeling 10 per cent, per annum.

The idea of the committee seems to be that these projects would be taken up in Great Britain by local associatons operating apparently on private capital. But doubtless such associations would also be able to secure substantial monetary assistance from the Imperial Government. There can, of course, be no doubt as to the benefits to be derived by the Dominion from directing activities towards the breaking in of new country that is at the present time either entirely unproductive or producing very much below its capacity if properly handled. That there is a very substantial area of such and which merely requires systematic and scientific treatment to make it ready for profitable occupation there is no doubt, and no chance like the present for commencing the process on a big scale. There was an opportunity for testing the proposal when the question of soldier settlement was before the Government and the people. But at that time popular clamour was all for placing the returned men on the highlypriced unfarmed lands that, to intelligent minds, left but little margin for making a living, let alone a competence. However, we have learned our lesson from that, and may apply it now in connection with our immigration settlement proposals.

YVe gather from the specific sample scheme set out by the committee that it is proposed to have group settlements, each drawn from some particular area of the Old Country. In this, no doubt, the “county scheme” which has been discussed at Home is being adopted, and this cannot but be regarded as a sensibe foundation for the new little communities that are to be formed. It should certainly result in a greater spirit of mutual helpfulness than if the members of such settlement were drawn from farapart portions of the British Isles. Beyond this is the social aspect, which cannot be disregarded where there must necessarily be some measure of isolation for a time. In such case a language in common is a great thing, and in the Old Country there are many languages, although we may choose to call them merely dialects. Whatever name we may give them, the man from Zumerzet is no less pleased to hear Zumerzet tongues about him than is the man from Aberdeen to hear his native bur-r-r among his neighbours, or the Highland crofter to be able to converse daily with those that have the Gaelic. The scheme as a whole is one worthy of the most serious consideration by all who have the welfare either of the Dominion or of the Motherland at heart, and it is to be hoped that the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, which is a very live body, will receive support in pressing its suggestions upon the Government and the public..