LAND POLICY.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 14 July 1938, Page 5

LAND POLICY.

URGENTLY NEEDED FOR I DOMINION. (By Telegraph—Press Assocrs-tlon.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The urgent necessity for an adequate land policy for New Zealand was stressed by speakers at the Farmers' Union Conference to-day and a remit was carried that the Union press for a definite policy by which farmers' s-f.ns, sharcmilkers and farm labourers, after certification for competence, can be assisted to acquire farms of their

own. Mr. D. G. Gordon, speaking to the remit which gave rise to the motion, as carried, said that New Zealand had a Minister of Lands who had definitely said he would not give titles and it seemed useless to look to the Government for assistance in land settlement. There were men in a position to take up land, but could not get it and who were drifting into the ranks of labour and being lost to farms. The onlv solution lay in the sub-division of private land in an attractive way. Captain Rushworth said that while he was not interested in politics at all, but in fairness to the Minister, he would say he was misrepresented on the question of titles, as 1,746 titles had been issued since he came into office. He added that the Minister had been referring to small farms on which many thousands had been spent. Mr. Eushworth said he was in favour of the remit but there was only one solution arid that was to make farming profitable. Mr. A. M. Carpenter said that the re-imposition of the graduated land lax had not opened up land but had caused v to be abandoned. In Bntam land 1 ad been derated.