The Waikato Independent SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1927. LAND SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT.

Waikato Independent, Volume XXVII, Issue 2766, 2 April 1927, Page 4

The Waikato Independent SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1927. LAND SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT.

Tlio future of Xew Zealand dopemis more ou its primary produce than anything else. This is essentially a producing country. Thus anything 'that can induce further settlement and greater production should have our warmest?, and staunchest support. An important step in this connection was taken at the conference held in Auckland during Royal Show week to dis* cuss the land. settlement problem, it will be remembered that at. that meeting a committee was set up to see that certain resolutions which were passed wore, forwarded to the Minister for Lands. . Since thou some, correspondence, has taken place with the Minister with

{ho object of inducing him to set up a Commission to investigate the whole of this ver t r : difficult pi'oble'm, in the hope that a 'tiioi’ou'gh investigation would result. in a'feport' being brought down which 'Would 'be of assistance to the Govoriniicut-iiT formulating some Land 'S'ottlenient scheme' on a • sound and practical The success with which schemes' of a similar nature have been instituted in other countries,: notably by the'Ghmidkn; Pacific Railway in Canada^'gives., rise to :thg hope/that - ; a policy foifhi’tilhted on sound lines, after full investigation has been made, would be for the benefit of the country and of all concerned. The Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association ' has taken the initiative in the matter and since the idea of forming a league was first mooted a considerable amount of work has been done by the committee to enable the idea of such a- league to be placed before a representative gathering of New Zealanders. A meeting is to be held at Auckland oh April 13, when it is hoped the whole Dominion will be represented, and it is proposed to form a league to be called “The New Zealand Land Settlement and Development League. ’’ The league, it is suggested, shall be an entirely nohpartv political organisation to promote and assist any movement for the development and bringing into Tull production of all undeveloped or partially developed lands and by every possible means to increase and enlarge the returns from the soil, in all and every way to stimulate the development of our mineral resources, and by public action or any other means to secure the co-operation of town and country interests to this end. Among the aims of the league, as set out in a booklet just issued, arc proposals to “(1) Urge and assist in legislation which will tend to encourage the promotion and profitable, exploitation of' land settlement, agriculture and farming in all its phases and all other industries having as their -.object the increasing of our national Hvealth through utilisation of the soil and also careful examination of all proposed legislation to the same end: (2) Strenuously endeavour with the co-operation of the press and other agencies, to educate public opinion to a true appreciation of the impovtanco of increased production from the soil, and to encourage the rising generation to look to some phase of the primary industries as a career." We commend this project to the earnest consideration of district organisations, such as the Farmers ’ Union, Chamber of Commerce, etc., and also to all town and district residents. The movement is one in the right direction, that may bo of great good if taken up whole-heartedly on the lines suggested by the booklet issued, which aptly quotes the followinglines from Daniel Webster:—“Lot us develop the resources of our, land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, to see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform somethingworthy to be remembered. ’’ i