BRITAIN'S IDLE PEOPLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19125, 17 September 1925, Page 7

BRITAIN'S IDLE PEOPLE.

Sir,—ln Tuesday's Hebaud you publish the following cable:—"The Daily Express in an editorial deplores the growing num - bet of unemployed." It says; "It would bo worth £500,000,000 to : Britain to transform one and a-hitff million unproductive British peopla into productive Australians, New Zcalariders, and Canadians. Why can't it be done?" Because no one caree to make the attempt. It could easily be dons if .the effort were made. We aire told that there is no land available, and- that; there is no use pntting people on the land unless they are train ed to the work. 'Well, here is a simple example: An Englishman with practically no knowledge of farm. work, was recently induced to take up a section of land Kerikeri, Buy of Islands, and it wis .arranged that an expert should guide him in his work. In April last he broke up some grass land, preparatory to planting oarly potatoes, rln tho last week of May ho planted six acres of potatoes, under the supervision of Mr. John Bilkey, 0,. Pukekohe. '(He attended to tho cultivation; and spraying of tho potatoes at instructed. He has now a fine crop of potatoes, and begin digging next week.. Mr. Bilkey inspected the crop this week, and reports that it is doing firstclass. Here then is a man who knows nothing about cropping, .but with Lie exercise of ordinary intelligence, secures the assistance of an expert to show him how to make a start. He takes up land in April, and has his potatoes on the market by September. What better start does a man want than this—and he w ctie of the overseas Englishmen who wanted to know " how long would it be before a man who took; up land could expect any income?" This, too, is done with a small capital. The cost of planting early pota-toes-is £3O. mi acre, including a ton of blood and bone to the acre, and seed notatoe,s at £lO a .ton.-' Sin tona of pota- y. toes would be an ordinary crop, ,iwi(J sold early should realise £2B to £3O per ton. This gives the beginner a good (tart. Of course this land is above , and free from frost, the same as the belt of early potato land, at Pokekohs. Mr. A. A. Wright, - the gentleman who has,made this very successful demonstration, did not bother about Bny house in the meantime, he was satisfied to uea his military tent until the proposition was tried out, and now he is quite satisfied thai* what a man can do at Pukekohe, he can do lequally well at KerikerL I give this simple and very definite example to show, that if tho Government really desired to promote land settlement on practical lines—that is, having the work done under the direction selected experts, the problem is simplicity itself. And as for land, there is any quantity available for this type of closer settlement, both at Keriken and all along the North Auckland railway, more or less. I understand there are thousands of people at Hbme and elsewhere. who have quite enough capital to $o embark in a closer settlement scheme. Though deserving cf the niost careful and searching inquiry, it is really pitiful to think so little attention appears to be given to this important matter -of land settlement. , G. E, Aldkkton. ■