PARLIAMENT

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 18, 16 August 1928, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

LAND SETTLEMENT. REPORT PRESENTED. CRITICISM OF GOVERNMENT. . WELLINGTON, Last Night. The Minister of Lands laid on the table in the House of Representatives to-day the report on the Crown lands settlement. Mr. D. G. Sullivan said that in view of tho declaration of the Minister of Lands that New Zealand had now reached the limit of Crown lands suitable for settlement, the House was entitled to have .some statement as to how the Government proposed to provide for the future development and production of the country. Mr. W- 33. Parry declared tfhat) production had not increased per head of the population, due largely to the manner in which Crown lands had been "butchered" by the Government. , . ADVANCE NOT MADE. Mr. G. W. Forbes said that although it was very difficult to get exact figures regarding t(h(> progress of land settlement, he thought there was little doubt jJijo country was not making the advance they had a right to expect. The Hon 0. J. Hawken said the feature of the debate was the Labour Party's lack of hope in the secondary industries. Production from the land was never ceasing, but it was too much, to ask those on the \irifl) to i>rodu(ce .sufficient for the whole population. Production, however, was steadily increasing;

The Minister said the demand for land was so small that even though good! roaded Crown areas not on occupation had been offered free, the holdings had not beo taken np. Of course capital was required, and that I was one of the stutnbhng blocks, i Apparently the Opposition forces in | Parliament had not learned a lesson! from the experience the country had i had in the settlement of returned soldiers. The Government had profited from that lesson. "We don't want to lose another £5,000,000,"- declared the " Minister. ] "The land! for settlement is avail-' able, and when a genuine demand! comes from people with a little capi- j tal the lad will be taken up and; used, but to force land into use by; settlers without money would result in the State facing exactly the same! position as it did with the returned soldiers. SKILL OF SETTLER. The Minister expressed.; the opinion that noboby in New Zealand expected land would increase in value as it had done fin the.'past. : It depended xrpon the skill iof < the settler as to whether he ;"hiadei!a do of it." Success could not depend upon any rise in value. ' "If that skill is wanting on the part of the. settler," added the Minister, ' ,fclie probability is tVit the settler himiseaf -will lose, and it is only natural to expect that the Government will lose also. The idle lands, while they will be taken up -some time, should not be forced on the market. It seems to me all ! this talk of the Opposition is mereily a stunt to try to force the Government to push land on to the peo- ! pie. Land must be settled in a sound way;, otherwise there' will be no good to the State and injury to the settler will result-" "ALL FOE, WANT OF POLICY."

Mr E. J. Howard said that as a result of sixteen, years of a "farmers' Government" land was going out of cultivation, men were leaving their farms, and production was falling, yeii all the time interest charges were rising, and all because of want of policy on the part of the Government. Mr F Waite said both the value and volume of production had increased, and proof of that could be found in the Year Book. Mr R. W- Smith (Waimanno) said if areas of Crown land suitable for Closer settlement were exhausted the time had come when the large blocks of good land in the Dominion ! which were not being farmed to the 'best advantage should he made | available to those who would farm. them- , i The Minister of Lands in reply said that labour difficulties had as i ~ nnv+ln'Ti«r els© to do with much as anyxmiig «ih« u the land settlement troubles. With regard to the occupation of the high country in the South Island the Minister maintained it was useless to attempt it unless there was a proportion of summer country attached to it. While he would like to see as many human beings as possible settled he held firmly that, it too much of the low country was taken away from the high country the reminder might just as.well be ! abandoned, for if stock could not be brought down in the winter, sooner or later a sowstorm would come and ipe the whole lot out. The report was laid on the table.