LAND SETTLEMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3757, 16 March 1926, Page 12

LAND SETTLEMENT.

POLICY OF CAUTION. STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF LANDS. BLENHEIM. March 9. After traversing the Clarence Valley with a view to looking into its possibilities in respect to closer settlement the Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. M'Leod), reached Blenheim to-day and was accorded a civic reception at the Council Chambers, there being a large and representative attendance. “In these days,’' said Mr M'Leod, ,4 a Minister hesitates to make any definite statement in regard to lands and possible settlement without first carefully committing to paper what he wishes to make public. Only a few weeks ago in answer to a deputation in the far north, which was pressing for the introduction of overseas settlers in large numbers, I stated that, as far as our settlement from overseas or elsewhere was concerned, -there remained little undeveloped land, and that future settlement for such must be of a practical and slow nature.’* That statement has since been twisted into all shapes and forms, the gist of the criticism being that no more settlement of the present undeveloped lands, in my opinion, was possible. Such an opinion never entered my head, but what I said of the gum and pumice lands of the north I say without hesitation of the back country

of the south. Certainly there will be future development in that area, but any attempt to rush it by inexperienced men can only end in disaster. Until our secondary industries show signs of larger development we must continue to ask and hope for more and more production from our primary producers. To say that New Zealand has reached the limit in such a direction is to talk nonsense, and is something I have never even thought of, much less said. I have, however, said that the settled lands are still too high in price to justify, in my opinion, any large purchasing policy in the present unsettled conditions of the world’s markets and high development costs. “I hold,” proceeded Mr M'Leod, “that our production can be greatly increased off settled lands, but I feel that by rushing things at this stage we could very easily bring about another returned soldier problem, and I am not prepared to Uke the risk of that. The instability of the prices of our products should make anyone chary of suggesting the purchase of land wholesale for subdivision, hut under a sane, gradual system of puf?Jiase, this country is capable of enormous development. “As to the Clarence Valley I murt confess that I was rather disappointed, for I expected to see a larger area. There is good land there, but it has been mercilessly destroyed by rabbits and will take many years to recover, while the cost of roaeftng would be enormous. The matter will have to be carefully thought out.’*