THE "HERD" INSTINCT AND RURAL SETTLEMENT.

Waipa Post, Volume 38, Issue 2270, 19 February 1929, Page 5

THE "HERD" INSTINCT AND RURAL SETTLEMENT.

j Sir, —The Minister of Education ! seems to have "the right sow by the ear" when he advocates better facilities for land settlement as a remedy for the urban drift and unemployment. The problem to me seems that the '<herd" instinct is horribly starved under the present backblocks conditions. The average farm house contains generally one self-appointed ">ead of the house," and say, half a dozen dependents who laugh at his stale jokes, talk about his favourite subjects—the inefficiency of the Jones boy's, the silly frivolities of "townies," etc. Association among sympathetic equals is very rare and meagre. These conditions produce narrow-mindedness and conservatism; the two rural vices | which are holding New Zealand back. ! Nov/, Sir, if closer settlement is to : be the order of the day, why could we not go in for village communities — the houses in the village away from the farms, if necessary? This would

be less and less inconvenient as tractors and modern transport methods become more and more common. It would give scope to the "herd" instinct. Team games, cricket, tennis, social events, dramatic could all become realities and make life interesting, besides developing that spirit of co-operation and mutual friendliness which Denmark has found such an economic asset. Denmark, of course, has developed it by her residential people's" high schools for young people between 18 and 30 years of age, and her system of sending town children en masse to farm houses during the summer. It has been suggested that rural schools should; train for a country life. This is not necessary. It is healthy for town children to take up rural pursuits and vice versa, so that the young townspeople may regain the vigour they tend to lose in town, and that rural dwellers may put their virility into town occupations. I agree with contentions to the effect that country life must be made more attractive. This must be offiicially recognised, and then surely human ingenuity can find the means to accomplish it. Many rural districts have solved the problem, but unless "the new settlement" of land recognises this need, the problem will still remain.—l am etc., OBSERVER.