ABOUT THE DEPRESSION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LVI, Issue LVI, 22 July 1909, Page 4

ABOUT THE DEPRESSION.

Speaking at Rangiora, at tlie opening ceireanoiry of the combined Winter Show of the Northern • Agricultural and Pastoral Association and the North Canterbury Poultry Club, the Hon.. T. Mackenzie spoke somewhat interestingly about the causes of the financial depression. He touched aa important spring in saying that "if ptfopla took part in the great primal industries instead of living in the cities it would go a very long way towards solving the difficulty. He regretted veay much to see that the population in the: towns was growing at double the rate it was in tho country districts. The census for 1906 allowed' that the increase in the population of the towns had been 75,000 as against 40,000 in the country, or, roughly, an increase of 18 per cent in the towns as compared with an increase of 9 per cent in the country. This ratio would cause no apprehension if the towns were developing manufacturing industries proportionately, but they were not doing so.'' The complaint is an old one. Man is a gregarious animal and the attractions, conveniences and apparent comforts of city life strongly appeal to many. Mr Mackenzie has located a loss of human balance; the 'cities, as young people say when see-sawing, are getting more "pudding" than the country districts. But what is the Government doing to remedy the tilt? Already the lure. of the city sucks/ labor energy to an overcrowded point, while in the country the cry of the pinplo-taxor and the land-nationaliser, and thd expansion of unimproved and the conscious contraction of improved values, create a feeling of anxious un-

rest.. If the urban call is to be neutralised the: Government must formulate a policy of readjustment so that tho eyes of the people, employer and employed, will turn with greater pleasure to Mr Mackenzie's "great primal industries." We believe with the Minister that New Zealand will persently emerge from the depression. The increase by £2,000,000 in the value of this year's products must relax the tension. Speaking of the Dominion's trade, Mr Mackenzie said it was satisffactory to know that wool was still firm, and the production this yoar showed a considerable increase on that of last year. Unfortunately, however, the frozen meat tiade was not sc satisfactory, and tho market was considerable- depressed. The export oi" frozen mea.t to England last year was 473,000 carcases less than it was in 1907. The real reason for this slump was that the British working-man was morei largely unemployed than in previous years, and the statistics showed that the meat consumed was considerably less than it was a few years ago. Last year the total importation was 46,328,000 cwt., and the population was 40,000,000, while for 1908 the importation was 46,850,000 cwt., therefore while) the population had increased 6,000,000, tlie importations of frozen meat had only increased by half a million hundredweight. Another reason for the depression was the lai'ga number of false claims put in for damaged meat, which enabled dis>honest merchants to undersell their more honest competitors. But having said so much Mr Mackenzie reiterated that matters would be improved "if an honest effort were made to induce the) people to pursue the greatprimal industries;." We sincerely that will be done. There are 7,000,000 acres of some of the best land in the) North Island lying idle, wasting, unproductive and taxless as native lands; there are still larger areas of Crown lands unopened. If Mr Mackenzie induces his colleagues to use the key on those unlocked territories, and make the terms of tenaacy siuch as will ensure a sense of safety, he will justify the speech hei made at Rangiora.