MR. A. HAMILTON AND LAND SETTLEMENT.

Southland Times, Issue 20633, 3 November 1928, Page 3

MR. A. HAMILTON AND LAND SETTLEMENT.

To the Editor. Sir, —At a policital meeting held at Tuatapere on October 30, 1928, Mr. A. Hamilton, speaking on Land Settlement expressed the opinion that it is not advisable to open any more land for settlement as enough was available. A meeting of the Tuatapere branch of the Farmers’ Union was held there a few weeks previous, at which the union advocated the settling cf a block of native land in the vicinity consisting of some 40,000 to 50,000 acres. This land to be acquired by the Government from the natives and settled thereon. The Southland executive of the union evidently took the matter up and a deputation was appointed to wait on the member for Wallace with a view for him to assist in futhering same. Whether the deputation met Mr. Hamilton or not has not yet been made public. Very well, Mr. Editor. On the one hand we have-Mr Hamilton telling us that no more settlement is required. Then on the other the Tuatapere branch of the Farmers’ Union strongly advocating more settlement and no doubt some of them strong political friends of the present member. Query: Who is credulity to be given to, Mr. Hamilton an absentee from the district and who on the eve of an election at one time promised to become a resident, or the farmers of Tuatapere? Mr. Hamilton complains of people leaving the land and drifting to the towns. This is a question that is very easily explained. For instance, take a young man with limited capital and place him on the highly cultivated lands and pay the high value demanded for same, purchase stock, implements, etc., he will in all probability fail to meet ends. Then let an energetic young tenant make a start on unimproved land with limited capital and in nine cases out of ten he will make good and create an asset to the Dominion where no asset formerly existed, a fact borne out by past experience of Crown tenants in Mr. Hamilton’s electorate and elsewhere. Judging by Mr. Hamilton’s stewardship as representative for Wallace he is evidently antagonistic to the settlement of Crown land, a very large area of which is yet available for settlement in his electorate. Since Mr. Hamilton was first elected nine years ago, has one settler been placed on Crown land, bar a few township allotments in the district of Wallace? If previous Governments had been of his mind on the land question he would have been saved the expense of travelling and addressing electors of Tuatapere and the adjacent surroundings and instead of the luxuriant grass and highly cultivated farms in the neighbourhood, Tuatapere would still. have remained the Wild West.—l am, etc., PROGRESS. [The statement that Mr. Hamilton is opposed to the settlement of Crown lands is incorrect. Much loose talk is indulged in on land settlement questions, and the conditions under which land can be settled are usually overlooked.—Ed. S.T.]