LAND SETTLEMENT PLAN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18960, 10 March 1936, Page 10

LAND SETTLEMENT PLAN

LORD NUFFIELD’S OFFER SIR. A. RANSOM EXPLAINS PRIVATE NEGOTIATIONS (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Inst night. Interviewed to-day, lhe op Lands, tin; lion. P. Langstone, said In' kmai' nothing at ail about Lord N uliield’s reported offer to invest til,000,0(1(1 in land settlement in New /.(‘aland. There, were no official re]iorts in the office of the Lands Departments. lie suggested that, now the question had been made public, Sir Alfred Ransom should publish the full details of any land settlement scheme discussed between Lord Nuffield and himself.

Invited to comment, on Mr. Langstone's statement, Sir Alfred Ransom said to-night that .the negotiations had 'been purely private and the matter was not placed before the Cabinet. As the whole thing was confidential, he made no announcement at the time.

Lord Nuffield 'had expressed a wish to settle on the land people from Great Britain, but Sir Alfred Ransom said that lie did not feel justified in recommending the Cabinet to embark on an immigration scheme at a time of unemployment, even though the whole scheme was to be financed by Lord Nuffield as a free gift at no cost to New Zealand.

Finally, a proposal was made 1 bat the settlers should be half front New Zealand and half from Britain. Lord Nuffield promised to consider this and' that was the last sir Alfred Hansom had'hoard of it. lie considered that, if the proposition appealed to the present Government, it 'would still be possible to reopen negotiations with Lord Nuffield.