POINTS OF VIEW

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3807, 11 September 1936, Page 7

POINTS OF VIEW

OPINIONS OF OUR READERS. CLOSER SETTLEMENT. Sir, —You have on many occasions been good enough to publish letters of mine on this subject. That the subject is of the greatest importance to the people is agreed to by the majority, but alas, few do anything but agree. There are a few instances of private persons assisting to do their bit, generail” to the advantage of the district in which the subdivision of lands takes place, two notable instances being Hawke’s Bay and "Waikato. Of late years little has been done by the Government in the interest of closer settlement, and little can now be done, except by purchase of large estates, many of which were acquired many years ago for little money. Up to forty and flXty years ago, the Crown possessed abundant o-ood land, which was cut up in small areas and sold to persons of small means, who carved out beautiful; farms, hence the prosperity of districts like Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki. Manawatu, Waikato, Pahiatua and others. Many a working man in those days wias able (at the price of land existing then) to purchase a property that now makes him independent Today it costs too much for a working man to purchase even a small farm. Who should heln? Why, the Government, of course. To put a decent family on a small farm, adjacent to a town, would be better for the fami) and better for the country than to pay sustenance as is at present being done. I hav*e already pointed out that an unemployed married man with a family of three receives £2 Is sustenance; this capitalised would provide money enough to put him on a small farm, build a home and provide stock to enable the family to live in comfolt, and become* an asset instead of 'a. liability to the Dominion. I have just read of a closer settlement scheme near Hamilton, visioned and inaugurated by Mr •D. V. Bryant, C.M.G., of Hamilton, who has already earned honour and distinction in connection with work done in the interest of delicate and crippled children. The scheme seems to be sound and humanitarian, well worthy of consideration by the present Gov-., ernment. Hamilton, of recent years has made greater progress than any other secondary town, simply because it has far-seeing citizens who are out to make their town a great city by ponulaiting its surrounding lands.—l am, etc,, J. SIDDELLS. Wanganui. RADIO BROADCASTS. Sir, —I often wondered why the Labour candidates for Parliament made such a determined “ set ” against the newspapers and why they declared to the world at large that they would soon “ put the papers in their rightful places ” by popularising radio. I have more recently had opportunity of hearing Parliamentarians “ on the air ” —and if they were not just gasbags I am an Eskimo .' I really think all Parliamentarians should regard you newspaper jokers with affection, for without doubt you have been very kind to them. From reading the newspapers, over a long period of years, I had the impression that most members of Parliament were fluent and interesting speakers, and not just men with “ the gift of the gab,” but men able to speak lucidly and convincingly. But, after listening to the radio broadcasts from Parliament, I sincerely admit that I had a wrong impression. Why, sir, those fellows didn’t know when they were well off ! The newspapers must have cut out a lot of their “ trjpy ” remarks, hesitancy, and innumerable " ers.” Now, when I hear a public man criticising the newspapers, I am going to grin and regard hitn ah a darned fool. Not only Parliamentarians, but men in all walks of public life. Just think of some of the public men that you know, men in our own town, too, who are real “ duds ” at public speaking. I wonder what sort of a showing their remarks, if published verbatim, would make ! You could put them in a special comic column ! If the Labour Government “ smacks out ” some of the newspapers, as seemed to be its intention, judging by the remarks of some of its henchmen, it will be doing itself a great injury. If the Labourites only knew it, the newspapers have been a great help to them in reaching the Treasury benches.—l am, etc., ONLOOKER. CREATION OF WEALTH. Sir, —I sometimes wonder if our legislation will ever learn that justice cannot be attained by robbing Peter to pay Paul. The secret of employment for all lies in the full and just utilisation of the land of the people by the people and for the people, as commanded in the Scriptures. More employment on the land means more employment in the towns in transporting, storing, shipping, sell-, ing the wealth created from the land. But who with a brain-box would attempt to break in virgin country with a 40-hour week in operation. We are told credit monopoly and land monopoly are the cause of this Dominion’s misfortunes. How a forty-hour week and a Public Works policy at extravagant rates of pay, constructing unprofitable railways, nursed and matured under One Big Union, is going to put an end to the monopolies indicated has got me seriously thinking that this freedom-loving country has politically jumped into the fire. The best way to prove that a stick is crooked is to place a straight one beside it. I advise our legislators to adopt this principle. They will then discern that increasing the price of bread, milk, groceries, tramway tick-, ets, etc., is not helping the worker.— I am, etc., COCKY.