SOUTH ISLAND RURAL PROPERTIES ACQUIRED

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6919, 27 May 1929, Page 7

SOUTH ISLAND RURAL PROPERTIES ACQUIRED

For Close Settlement RAILWAY POLICY OP ’SEVENTIES REVIVED PUSHING ON SETTLEMENT. Per Press Association. BLENHEIM, Last Niglit. It is doubtful if any politician has over received a more rousing reception than that accorded the Prime Minister on his arrival at Blenheim on his first official visit since his accession to tho Premiership. The motor run from Nelson was a triumphant progress all along the route. Wayside townships turned out to welcome and cheer the popular Sir Joseph and a very large crowd of people waited patiently in Market Square in Blenheim over an hour, the party being delayed along the road. Tho town was decorated with evergreens, buuting and coloured globes. Tho local Pipe band met the ministerial party which included the Hon. W. A. Yeitch, at tho borough boundary and escorted it to tho rotunda in the Square, amid cheering of thousands. The Mayor, Mr. M. Mc- ' Kenzie, ' informally welcomed Sir Joseph to - the town'and Sir Joseph returned thanks for the wonderful wel- . come, Enthusiasm had not waned in the evening, when Sir Joseph Ward ad- ■ dressed.' an' ‘enormous crowd in tho theatre. He was greeted by a storm of applause on taking his place on tho platform, the crowd rising and singing “For He’s a Jolly Good Bellow.” The Mayor extended a formal civic welcohte 'oil behalf of the citizens. Tho -Mayor of -Picton joined in the welcome. also the chairmen of local bodies and Mr.' T, McDonald, M.P., expressed a ’ weicomo on behalf of tho natives of tho ’South Island. After thanking the Mayor and peo-> pie tho-Premier spoke on land settlement. "By opening up the country for 'small ‘ farmers, we shall settle the unemployment problem. During the last seven years, the number of people on tho land has decreased by 15,000. These people aro now in tho towns and this has given rise to our unemployment problem. The only way of providing against this congestion in the cities is land settlement. While in. Nelson, Six Joseph said he had received a telegram' from the Minister of Lands, announcing that eight estates had already been acquired by the government. This was the com-' mencement of the policy which the government had asked the people for authority to carry out. It was proposed to take authority next session to spend more money to settle people, so that the 16,000 pupils turned out each year from schools mentally equipped for tho battlo of life, might be found openings. Thoy had alroady expended £G0,000,000 in advances to settlers and workers. When ho camo into office, he found the advances fand clogged and able to function only in a minor way. In 12 months, only £BOO,OOO had been placed at the department’s disposal. Now all back payments, to borrowers had been met. Sir Joseph replied on familiar lines to criticism of his election proposal to borrow £70,000,000 for advances to workers and railways. Ten millions of that money would be used to complete long-distance railways. Sir Julius Vogel, in the seventies, had proclaimed that trunk railways should bo mado from end to end of New Zealand and side lines come in as required. For some unaecountablo reason, the South Island lino had got only 53 miles from Picton and thero stopped. The government proposed to pick up the w'ork and to obliterate tho gap from the map, doing the same with the West Coast to Nelson line. In three or four years the South Island trank would be finished. Sir Joseph said at the present time he was balancing the merits of routes for the proposed line between Taranaki and Auckland ,which would mean a saving of one day’s travelling and a reduction in freight charges between the two points. The actual cost on the five long-dis-tanco railways it was proposed to compicto would bo only £7,500,000, leaving £2,500,000 to spend on ovorhead charges? engines, trucks and carriages. Short distance lines should never bo made again and some that were down should bo stopped. The loss could not be allowed to go on, they could not possibly compete with tho moton As Minister of Finance, ho was bound to submit proposals for tho alteration of taxation in some degree. Later, Sir Joseph was entertained at a social. He will leave for the south on Monday morning. Mr. Veitch and other members of the Parliamentary party, excluding the Premier, visited the Marlborough Aero clubs aerodrome to-day. All went on short passenger flights.