LAND SETTLEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19512, 16 December 1926, Page 10

LAND SETTLEMENT.

Sir, —Much lias been said of late on this question, and its close connection with the welfare of this Dominion, but no one has so far touched the real trouble, or point at issue, .All practical farmers will, and do, agree that land settlement under present Conditions is impossible to achieve with any degree of success even bv the most skilled and experienced men of that profession. Therefore any attempt at such by the State would only end in further disaster, as did the soldier settlement scheme, to which I think all practical farmers were opposed. The present conditions which make land settlement impossible in New Zealand have been brought about by the war, over which we had no control. It is lite of the war that has brought about tha conditions under which the primary producer is suffering to-day. Instead of working on sound economic lines, as the individual would do, aff.er a severe loss, we have lavished in luxury, our towns have gone ahead in leaps and bounds, while the country and farming has been steadily and surelv Our towns have got at least twenty years in advance of the requirements of the country and we are, to say least, slhamefnllv off the econom'** Glance—the balance which means prosperity and sound security to all, any without which stagnation anil disaster sS sure to follow. I am not a pessimist, I do not want to put country against town, or town against country, far from it, but I do want all to think and understand the trend of the times fid, realise that we cannot live by taking in another's washing. New Zealand lends itself only to primary production, and on such we all depend. Therefore it behoves all to make lan 4 settlement possible. This can only be done by light-. ening tihe burden under which the farmer is oppressed. All must join 10 cominij down to an economic level or New Zealand is doomed. Wild borrowing by local bodies' must be stepped, as » is one of the primary causes of our trouble. It has increased the cost of living and so reflects on the primary producer and virtually upon us all. A very false appearance of prosperity h* 3 been given to the country, and more especially the towns, bv reckless borrowing of local bodies. Wb'-re ss the interest. coming from to pay these borrowings? Not out of the land under present conditions, and thp farmers are plainly tellinir von so. Wh->* is f e wisdom of the emigration scheme to New Zealand, with its only sound industry made impossible bv overhead charges ? The land is reallv ;he only industry to bring people here for, and present conditions absolutely bar «nv cn 'f r / prise iri that direction. \frbat w> middle men and overhead charges t • cosit of production is at least double pre-war rates with land at prr-.-wir va ue. ' C. Bailet. Paengaroa. December 14, 1 £26.