UNEMPLOYMENT

Southland Times, Issue 20662, 18 April 1929, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT

PREVENTING ITS CAUSE

PREMIER ADVOCATES CLOSER SETTLEMENT

J’ATH TO HAPPINESS AND

PROSPERITY’

(Special to the Times.)

Wellington, April 17.

Indications that the Government is determined to acquire sufficient land to ensure success for its policy of closer settlement, even if it meant applying special taxation to do so, was given by the Prime Minister when speaking at the annual dinner of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

“In New Zealand w r e have to turn our eyes to the land,” said Sir Joseph YVard. “We have to do tljat whether the people in the towns like it or not, or whether the people in the country like it or not. I am convinced that the only way we can prevent the causes of unemployment in New Zealand is to cut the country’ up into small sections. YV’e have to cater for our own people first and we should not bring large numbers of people from other countries until we are sure, that they will not dislocate the local labour market and cause inconvenience from one end of the country to the other. The whole trouble to-day is that it is practically impossible to purchase land at a low enough figure to be able to put men on to small sections on a profitable basis. At the present moment we have not money’ to do it. Y¥e have authority to spend * £1,000,000 on the purchase of land, but judging by the results of the tour of the Minister of Lands, it is very difficult to get large holders to put a suitable price on their land. That is the price that will enable us to settle small men on a sound basis if there are men who arc going to adopt that attitude. Then if the Government finds it necessary to achieve its object by a system of taxation they will have no one to blame but themselves. — (Applause.) YY’c know from past experience that the system of closer settlement in New Zealand has led to happiness and prosperity.”