NEW ZEALAND'S FUTURE

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 35, 13 February 1929, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND'S FUTURE

IVHAPPEW I D IX LAM) SETTLEAIK XT. \ , MINISTER at DANNEVIRKE. Press Association —Copyright DANNEVIRKE, This Day. Speaking at Dannevirke to-day, in reply to a deputation urging Government action in promoting closer settlement near Dannevirke Hon. G. W. Forties-, Minister of Lands, said "the question is a very impoiiant) 0.. e, as tar as tire towns am cr - ies are concerned, tor tire whole ol our proseprrty is m>«t »P »" cess of the primary mdustnts. they are net extended in accordance with the growth 'of the towns we will get a top heavy su-uctuic, Which is what has happened lately. A SUPER STRUCTURE.

We have built up a super structare, that has got out of proportion to the base. We must recognise that if this country is going to Progress we must have more settlement on the land. There is no other solut,ion to ourl unemployment' problem than increasing the manner 'of peo pie on the land, and increasing production. PROBLEMS of PEOPLE. X am taking the opportunity of visiting different parts of the cmin iy t- 0 discuss with the people on he shot their problems, the problems of one distnc are ent from those o£ another, tms only to travel to know that there is a considerable amount bt lan that is capable of improvement of settlement. One is stuick by It can bo done in the Auckland district where there are cnormoiio tracts of land that want developing. With the increased knowledge ot r cm, be dee with * is now a question of dealing qhat undeveloped land. . TOP PRESSING. X have seen what can he done with top dressing in UIU couul f ! lucre is uuaouuieuly more room xo ; auon and I believe tnat one of £ great faults in New Zealand v - aay is that people Lave too m n mud and not too Ikde. 1 believe on troubles and weakness are uac - ‘“we-lave come to ece that whore' we have areas of M caa * oa,t up into smaller somtl ta.ms reasonable size.

NOT ITIiINS IT I Tilt WWHIIT.

! have famiuß 3 « jtmt 1 nanrit OM «hW 1 j , learn something ginning t 0 * Ca " h pe „ork ot about farming thiougn f connweight. ian times . parry tWOi to t-nice many people on its I-** used There is not a doubt ?hat in regard to Asor, settiemept. we Tiave got to tackle tiro proolem r„ 4 deal with it as expeditiously as

"lithe present time the Government iB lo'oking lor good land because we are out lor closer settlement are not going to buy big sheep s and cut them up into sma ei farms. ■ ; 1 best BE SUITS. • iii (yiirp llio best results. Dairying will give me ocm. ■What I am aiming at m ie & au settlement is to increase the number ol men on the land and along W ith that to increase production You can do that by cutting up land . t iiiat has been carrying sheep and putting dairy farms on it. you were to put sheep farms on it you wouldn’t get the same result. That is the class of land we are out to settle and any property you may kn'ow of where the owner is willing to submit to the Government should be put before the Laud Purchase Board. I have told them that it is the desire of the Government to go on with settlement as expeditiously as we can. HARSH MEASURES NOT WANTED. The Government did not want to apply harsh measures in getting land. If man wanted to hang on to a, big area then the time had come for the Government to tackle the matter. The towns, were full of unemployment, and he believed that it was better in such cases for the Government to give, under conditions of amicable bargaining, a little more than the market value of the land, than have to take it under the compulsory clauses of the Act. The Government would endeavour to d° its best along the lines of friendly co-operation, hut if We arose it would have to take other means.