CLOSER SETTLEMENT.

Southland Times, Issue 18963, 9 June 1923, Page 8

CLOSER SETTLEMENT.

To the Editor. Sir, —In September last you published a letter from me drawing attention to Dr. McKibbin’s suggestions about “closer settlement” in towns and pointing out that a .closely but well built town is not only quite as healthy as a scattered community, such as Invercargill has grown to be, but it saved the huge and increased cost of roading, drainage, extended trams, water mains, electric lighting, etc., which is caused by the buildings being scattered over a wide area. Dr. McKibbin has now again dwelt on the same point, and the new—and it is hoped more up-to-date—men in our Council will perhaps see that no further money is wasted on extending costly public works to the verge of the district when ample land for occupation is lying within easy reach of the town centre. But closer settlement in the country is still more important. For prosperity we need small farms well drained, the closest cultivation, the best pastures, the best milk and butter producing cattle, land workers, not street, office and shop loafers, such as Southland is now turning out in thousands from our schools to sell socks, stationery and toys, or suck cigarettes in public offices. If the farms of Southland were small, say averaging about 50 acres apiece, and w T ell worked, we could produce three or four times the quantity of butter and cheese, and maintain at least three times our present population on the same area. It would pay Southland to send two or three observant and intelligent farmers to Denmark, Belgium, Holland or northern France to see what can be done by close settlement on well worked farms, and industry—they would have their eyes opened to the possibilities of such a soil as we possess when properly worked, and the advantages of our climate. They would not find race meetings at every corner frequented by thousands of idlers, nor streets with idlers, nor schoolboys with no higher ideal than to kick footballs and loaf behind a counter. I am, etc., TRAVELLER.