"TOO GOOD A LAND"

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11659, 25 October 1923, Page 10

"TOO GOOD A LAND"

TO GO UNSETTLED |IF HR!TONS DON'T OTHERS WTT.T* j POPULATE NEW ZEALAND. MIGRATION PROBLEM. Quc?t ior a Concerning immigration y,-ore touched on at yesterday’s meet- | m- ei tlje oTeontive of the New ZeafMr V . .T. Prison) said ho had been -i;id to ]'/ ;)!• that the Immigration Com-mis-:on which recently passed through Now Zealand had indicated that the -»oTij> settlement echemo of Western Audrnln was very favourably regarded. I.iat ‘-'•home was favoured by New Zealand farmers, and ho thought it enuld wrl] he applied to the lands in \ u ' I ;°!' t]!CT ‘ n .Portion of this country. Mr Peh-or. said he had made it clear loathe commission that the union was net at- all < r -''tisfiod_with the nomination svstem. under which the country was at times celling men who were a tlie State from the day t-hev arrived heir. Tie thought something siould bo done in the way of junior im migration. BOY IMMIGRATION. ATr W. B. Mntheson thought a | scheme of boy immigration could be made very successful providing the right selection was made at Home. He thought Mr Ma e soy should be congratulated on the step he had taken in the matter. Mr A. IT. Herbert thought the union should make some definite proposal. He thought the EarniorV Anion might say it eoidd take 000 young men and ab- | c orb them Jt should be realised we 10-t. Mr H A. Nivens: A great deal 19 isaid about boys. I think wo need to bring out girls too. Air Poison said the question of girl immigration bad been discussed with the visiting commission, and no satisfactory suggestion had been arrived at. THE GOVERNMENT SAID TO HAVE BEEN SUPINE. Mr R. D. Duxfidd thought there was no subject on which the Government had so supine as this. There were largo tracts of land calling out for settlement, and the union ought to get down to hodnJck and seo what it could do.

Mr A. Leigh Hunt, addressing the meeting, said that it seemed that what was wanted was the arousing of public opinion, and he believed the way to secure this was to have set up a commission to travel from town to town and take evidence and gather information. He thought a deputation to Hie Government asking for a coranrission might he arranged for the union, the Chambers of Commerce, and the Land Settlement League.

THE GROTT SYSTEM. Al> G. W. Leadley said it was hard to think of wlnt would happen to the unomnloved in England during the coming winter, while on the other hand wVs here had a '-ountrv that was too good tn fro unsettled. Wo should not forget that if this country were not settled by British neooV if would he settled by oeoplft, cf other lands He thought a hnv immigration scheme would-be too frlnw for New Zealand, and said that what we wanted was adult immigration ns wdh

Mr O. Anderson said the matter was national, and not one that private enterprise could hand!" we’l. Air B. Dunn thought the first thing to do was to decide on the land to ho settled, then have the communications to th<> place made, and then go in for settling that land. That seemed to him to he the order in which the work should ho done. Air G. L. Alarshall moved that the union should urge the Government to take advantage of the Empire settlement and c et- aside ft suitable area of land for developing tho feroup of immigration.

.Mr A. E. Harrling c-cconded the motion r»ro forma. He thought the union ought to prenarc a scheme that would enable the Government to <*ettle the oountrv and also enable wealthy syndieatoe to do it. The discussion was adjourned pending the drafting of a resolution by a committee which was set up.

THE EAIPIRE SETTLEMENT ACT. Subsequently the committee reported as follows: —‘‘‘That this executive does not regard the existing nomination system as satisfactory, as it is of little value in assisting land settlement, and adds to the unemployment in, the towns, and urges the Government to take full advantage of the Empire Settlement Act and to set Aside suitable areas of our waste lands for settlement under the group system. In this respect it is of opinion that facilities should also bo granted to private enterprise bv encouraging syndicates to settle land under this, system. Further, the Farmers’ Union offers tho Government the assistance of its whole organisation in carrying out any approved scheme.” Air Herbert thought what was wanted was a vigorous immigration policy which would cover not only tho fanning industry, but every industry in Now Zealand. He said a great trouble in New Zealand to-day was that we had not enough labour to work the land. It would not be reasonable to expect farmers to come from England and take up waste land. The union should urge on the Government tho need for a progressive land policy and the need for replacing the men who fell in the war.

Air T. W. Atwood thought it well to Take full advantage of the opportunity offering to use the Empire Exhibition to inako known the chances there were in Nov Zealand. He had yet to see the land in New Zealand which would not 1c profitable if treated g< 1 n erou «d y and p'O] >e rl y. The committee’s report was adoxttod.