DETERIORATED LAND

Taranaki Daily News, 26 November 1926, Page 9

DETERIORATED LAND

TREE-PLANTING ADVISED GOVERNMENT OFFERS HELP. PROGRESS IN THE NORTH. 8y Telegraph.—Press Association. Whangarei, Last Night. The Hon. 0. J. Hawken, Minister of Agriculture, speaking at the Whangarei Chamber of Commerce dinner to-night, referred to deteriorated lands and said it would be better that such lands bo planted with trees. He was in favour of seeing the land in the Dominion producing something and advocates bringing in swamplands to a state of productivity. If the Government could help in any way to obtain the desired object he, as Minister of Agriculture, would use his best endeavours on that behalf. Mr. Hawken referred to the high costs of farming and said that he would do his best to reduce these. He realised, as a farmer, what the men on the land were up against and would do his beat to help the genuine trier to make “a do of things.” Mr. Hawken went on to tell those pre. sent of his own experiences and said that he was convinced that as far as sheep and fat lambs were concerned the southern parts of New Zealand would have to look to their laurels; otherwise the North would soon outstrip them so far as prime mutton was concerned. He paid a high tribute to the North generally and how it had progressed during the last few years. He anticipated that in the very near future it would rank with the most flourishing districts in the Dominion.