Land Settlement

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXII, Issue 248, 17 August 1928, Page 3

Land Settlement

“NO DEMAND AT PRESENT’’ (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Ihe Minister of Lands laid on the table of the House of Representatives to-day the report on Crown lands settlement. Mr D. G. Sullivan Avon) said, that in view of the declaration of the Minister of Land that we had now reached the- limit of Crown lands suitable tor settlement, the House was entitled to have some statement as to how the Government proposed to prbvide for the future development and production of the country.

Nir G. W. Forbes (Leader of the Nationalists) said that although it was veiy difficult to get exact figures regal ding the progress of land settlement he thought there was little doubt that the country was not moving in advance as they had the right to expect.

The Hon. O. J. Hawken said a feature of the debate*was the Labour party’s lack of hope in the secondary industries. Production from the land was never ceasing, but it was too much to ask that those on the land should produce sufficient-for the whole population. Production, however, was steadily increasing. For the five years period from 192 to 1927 the increase amounted to 22 per cent, over the previous similar period. The increase last year over the average of the previous five years was ten per cent., which was icmarkable, and he anticipated that this year’s increase would be equally satisfactory. The Minister said that the demand for land was so small that even though good loaded Crown areas not in occupation had been offered as freehold they had not been taken up. Of course, capital was required, and that was one of the stumbling blocks. .PROFITING. FROM EXPERIENCE Apparently the Opposition forces in Parliament had not learnt a lesson from the experience the country had had in the settlement of returned soldiers. The Government had profited from that lesson. “We don’t want to lose another £5,000,000,” declared the Minister, “lhe land for settlement is available, and when a genuine demand comes from people with a little capital the laud will be taken up and used, but to force land into use by settlers without money would result in the State facing exactly the same position as it did with the returned soldiers.” While these unoccupied Crown lands were offered cheaply and had been given away for nothing, there, nevertheless, were expenses which settlers had to face. Nearly all the unoccupied lands would take considerable capital to bring them into profit-making use. The Opposition appeared to think the Government should find the money. He believed when a real demand for laud set in—and that was absolutely assured, because times change —land would be taken up by those who could handle it. Unfortunately a great many people who thought they could handle land took it up. When such people took up land someone had to pay. We did not want to face another proposition like that of settling returned soldiers. The Minister expressed the opinion that nobody in New Zealand expected that land would increase in value as it had done in the past. It depended upon the skil of the settler as to whether he “made a do of it.” Success could not depend upon any rise in value. Mr E. J. Howard (Christchurch East) said that as a result of 16 years of a farmers’ Government, land was going out of cultivation, men were leaving their farms, aud production was falling; yet all the time interest charges were rising, and all because of a want of policy on the part of the Government. Mr R. W. Smith Waimarino) said that if the areas of Crown land suitable for closer settlement were exhausted the time had come when large blocks of good land in the Dominion which were not being farmed to the best advantage should be made avail? able to those who would farm them.