"BACK TO THE LAND."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20323, 2 August 1929, Page 15

"BACK TO THE LAND."

ENCOURAGING SETTLEMENT*

SPECIAL LOAN OF £5,000,000.'

DEVELOPING VIRGIN AREAS.

LIBERAL HELP PROMISED.

[by TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON, Thursday.

Neglect to foster land settlement was advanced by tho Minister of Finance. Sir Joseph Ward, in the Budget, as tho cause of tho Dominion's present unemployment difficulty. The prosperity of the whfjlo country was bound up in tho products of the land, and the only real cure for existing difficulties lay in the old slogan, "back to the land."

Sir Joseph said the Government would vigorously foster land-settlement in any and every way that was feasible. "It. is a matter that will take time, but I can assure honourable members that tho Government will spare no effort to obtain tha desired end," added Sir Joseph.

"The State holds some millions of acres of waste land, but a great deal of it, for various reasons, is not suitable for immediate settlement," continued the Minister. "Some of it is inaccessible, and roads will have to be constructed before it can be utilised, while in other areas tha nature of the land is such that considerable developmental work will have to bs done before a settler can go on it and make a living for himself and his family* The Minister of Lands, however, has been taking stock of the position, and the Government proposes to take steps to bring some of these waste lands into cultivation " Special Advances Department. In addition to existing authorities ii was proposed to ask the House to authorise the borrowing of up to £5,000,000 for land settlement. Legislation would bo submitted to the llour>o to enable tha funds of the Lands Department to be used for tho preliminary development of selected areas, which would be cut up and offered for selection as soon as the land, with the assistance and co-operation of the experts of the Agriculture Department, had been brought into sueb'a state that settlers could go on to it and get an immediate return from their fanning operations. This meant that, as an alternative to buying developed lands for settlement, tho funds would be used to develop tho waste lands that were already in the" possession of the State. The cost of such development work would, of course, bo capitalised. "In addition, it is proposed to provida for special assistance to those energetic and capable men with the pioneer spirit who are willing to take up sections of waste land and do the developmental work themselves," continued Sir Joseph. "This: will be done by setting up d special land development branch of the State Advances Office, the funds of which will be used for advances on special liberal conditions to selected men taking up the class of land tc which I have referred The idea is that in lieu of buying land that is fully developsd and loading the settler with tha capital cost, tho man will be allowed to have the land at a nominal cost and be given the opportunity of making tho capital improvements himself, the necessary capital being advanced to him on suitable liberal terms by the State." Gutting Up Large Estates.

The Government also intends to pro- ' ceed with the cutting up of large estates suitable for closer settlement. The Government would not pay more than the true economic value of tho land, and if sufficient suitable areas could not be acquired at a reasonable price, the Government would not hesitate to use compulsion, To enable this to be done it was proposed to amend the procedure governing the compulsory acquisition of lands under the Land for Settlements Acfc.

A great number of properties were being investigated by the Land Purchase Board, but it was evident that the prices asked by many of the vendors were th® economic value from a production point of view, and the compulsory provisions might have to bo resorted to if such an attitude was maintained. The Government was not out to exploit anybody, and would pay a fair price, but it was noti going to put settlers on to land carrying such a heavy loading of capital charges that they would have no hope of making a success of it. Settlers taking np lands that were purchased and cut up would,, of course, be able to obtain all the necessary capital for development purposes from the settlers* of the Stata Advances Office and the -Rural Intermediate Credit Board without any delay* The Minister concluded his reference to land settlement by sounding an optimistia note. "This policy will be steadfastly purw sued," he said. "The full effects wi 11 b« seen in a few years' time, when the increase in production and in the general prosperity of the whole Dominion will have caused unemployment and" other present difficulties to disappear."

BREWERY AT OTAHUHU,

FEARS FOR KING COUNTRY* ASSURANCE BY MINISTER. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAC REPORTER. J WELLINGTON. Thursday. A suggestion that tho establishment of a brewery at Otahuhu would facilitate tba distribution of liquor in the King Country, which is a "dry" area, was made in the House this afternoon when Mr. R. A. Wright (Reform— Wellington Suburbs) addressed a series of questions on tha subject to the Minister of Customs, Hon* W. B. Taverner. The questions were:--(1) Whether a licence had been granted for a brewery to be erected on tho Maia South Road, Auckland? (2) If so, was the Minister aware that the site was on the main highwav to the Waikato and King Country? '(3) If a brewery was established on this highway, would it not bo an easy matter for travellers to purchase liquor in small quantities and difi* tribute it in the King Country to the serious detriment of the native popula-

tion ? The Minister said approval had been given to the granting of a licence for a brewery on the Main South Road, Otahuhu. Under the licence that would be issued beer could not be sold except in quantities of two gallons or over. There appeared to bo less likelihood of beer for distribution in tho King Country bein;. purchased from such a brewery than fi'o\\ broweries and wholesale licensees in Auckland, Hamilton and other largo centres en route. In any case it was a breach of the law to attempt to dispose of liquor in the King Country.

MARRIAGE AMENDMENT.

BILL READ A SECOND TIME,

[by telegraph.—press association.] WELLINGTON, Thursday. The Marriage Amendment Bill, spon. sored by Mr. H. G. R. Mason (LabourAuckland Suburbs), was read a second time in (bo House to-day wthout debate. The mover stated that, the mil was designed to lepalise innrnage w.tti a deceased wife's niece and a deceased hand's nephew.