TE AWAMUTU COURIER Printed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays MONDAY, 24th SEPTEMBER, 1945 SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 71, Issue 6140, 24 September 1945, Page 2

TE AWAMUTU COURIER Printed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays MONDAY, 24th SEPTEMBER, 1945 SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

TWO QUESTIONS which are somewhat related in character are coming to the forefront of discussions affecting future policy in New Zealand, and both are certainly related in the shaping of the economic programme. The one is of closer application because of its immediate demand, but the other can be equally close if a full part is to be taken in this nation’s place in shaping world destinies. The iiqgnediate problem is the rehabilitation of the servicemen who sailed from New Zealand, but with that also comes the thought that rehabilitation can and should extend to those who from the more denselypopulated parts of the Empire made secure the opportunities which abound in our own fair land. Rehabilitation and immigration are related questions which must be made to feature Government policy and they must both base upon fuller utilisation of the resources which have so far not been explored or exploited. The keynote of it all is settlement and development. To say or even suggest that a selfish regard can be had only for the employment of our present population is to deny the opportunities which can be made available for the benefit of people who are seeking the fight to employ the creative genius and the industrial activity which are at the •foundation of the whole economic system; and to lock away any latent resources is to refuse the very influences which make possible a secure and sound economy. The history of American colonisation can teach a tremendous lesson; added population made possible the volume of production which made peoples independed; it gave to the people a standard of living and developed a self-suffieiency in the economic system, It implies that the opportunities to work will be provided and that the heritage which is of the nation shall be made available for the use and enjoyment of the people. How it works out has been well demonstrated in the progress of Te Awamutu in the years between the two Great Wars. The acreage and the possibilities have never changed; but the use has; and in the process a successful way of life has been found for many hundreds of people. Not for a moment could it be inferred that development is yet complete. The many thousands of acres of land yet idle indicate the scope and the sphere for further endeavour. From the Government should come the leadership and the inspiration to inaugurate the works which alone can make development complete. The way may not be easy, but the technicalities of confused titles should not bar the way. The native land problem will sooner or later have to be taken in hand, and it might as well be done now. If the Maoris elect to rely on social security they cannot claim the right to hold lands which should be productive in idleness. Similarly, other land-owners should not be permitted to close the doors to opportunity. A really progressive spirit is needed. There can be no doubt as to what we owe to returned servicemen who are now seeking opportunities, and it is clear that many from overseas are looking in this direction. According to the last issue of the Sunday Empire News, the British Government is negotiating with Australia and Southern Rhodesia to provide free or assisted passages for migrants as soon as shipping facilities are available—possibly in 1946. Canada, South Africa, and New Zealand, the journal says, are still unable to

specify when and to what extent they will permit the entry of people from Britain. After referring to the fact that 4 thousands of potential emigrants will be heartened to know that Australia and Rhodesia will welcome them,” the paper explains the attitude of each Dominion. Of New Zealand it says: 1 The Government is anxious for a bigger population, but New Zealand’s forces must first be rehabilitated, and there is an acute shortage of houses. The housing problem can bp overcome only by extensive and large-scale building operations. The existing obstacles are such that the Government cannot consider at the moment any scheme for assisting the entry of people from overseas.” The question remains; Will we worthily meet the situation or will we tolerate inaction ? From the Government should came the inspiration and the leadership if from the foundation of production a developing economy and all that surrounds it—is to be encouraged in New Zealand.