The Waikato Times With which is Incorporated The Waikato Argus. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1921. LAND SETTLEMENT

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14601, 26 February 1921, Page 4

The Waikato Times With which is Incorporated The Waikato Argus. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1921. LAND SETTLEMENT

The Hon, Mr Guthrie, the Minister for Lands, lias made a statement to the press in answer to Hie criticism which has b<"en directed to the operations of his Department. It is an ingenuous document, and throws light on the. workings of that perpetual mystery,

Government management. He begins by a reference to gum and pumice lands,

about which be admits he knew little when be took office, but he visited them

and came |o the conclusion that the Government could not afford to allow such an area of second-class land to remain unoccupied. It did not require a personal visit to make such a truth evident, but no one will complain of the Mhiister seeing the country for himself. He came to the conclusion that the homestead system was the right way to develop these lands, and that men should be maintained on litem until the farm could be made self-supporting, ■u.d then the land should be handed over to the settler, subject to a mortgage of the amount advanced. After inducing the Cabinet to agree to the proposal, the necessary legislation was put through the House, and when this had been done a policy evolved, a Cabinet persuaded, legislation passed, it was fcund that all (lie land suitable for homestead settlement was included in the national endowments. It does not seem to have struck the Minister that this was an extraordinary oversight, but t 1 at is how it will be regarded by everybody else. What part did the officers in his Department take in the business. They have presumably some acquaintance with the land which is available /or settlement, and know something of its extent, its quality and the title under which it is held. It would have been expected ihat someone would point out that there was no land to which the system proposed by the Minister could b'e applied. The consequence of the oversight was that settlement was delayed until the following session, when Parliament ag.'ood to withdraw 20,000 acres from the national endowment for the purpose of homestead settlement with the right to obtain the freehold. Are we to understand that it is in eonsequencc of this that so many returned

soldiers have purchased high-priced lands? If so, it will prove to be one of

the most costly mistakes ever made by any Department. The Minister points to the. shortage of labour and money during the war as the reason why morj was not done to render land suitable for settlement. Everyone will admit the validity of the excuse during the war, but when he goes/on to say that the chief engineer is no'w in America for the purpose of biiying machinery for drainage purposes, it is only fair to point out that it is more than two years since the Armistice, and that during that period something like £20,000,000 has been spent on repatriation. There was no reason why the necessary machinery should not have been selected during war, and ordered on the advent of peace. A large number of men might have been settled on (lie homestead system if the necessary preparation had been made in tone. The consideration of the question and the passing of legislation would have cost no motley, hut for the want mi if men who desired to pro on the land have purchased high-priced farms, and

the previous owner has in many eases joined the ranks of the unemployed. To point, out that there are many difficulties in the path of a Minister of Lands is superfluous, as we know it. but that is no reason why a reasoned policy should be too late to be effective. There

was no occasion lo delay measures until he could personally inspect gum and pnmie,. lands; they were there during tli" war, and it was known that the men

would return and many of them be looking to settle on land. It, cannot be said that the Minister has made an effec-

tive pie,i fur acquittal. On the question of homestead settlement, «> think there j s much to be said

for the Minister's proposals respecting gum lands. We do not, However, believe tliii tlie system will be found suitable for pumice land. After all, wide areas of pumice land have been broken in successfully, and man\ districts thai sic now Nourishing came originally under this description. They have, htwever. been taken up in large blocks h> men with capital. In the early stages sheep and cattle are found suitable; Inter on il may be possible to pursue dairying. Sheep and cattle, however, are not capable of giving a living to the holder of small areas; and the homestead system can scarcely be applied in large areas, unless the Government is prepared to run the risk of losses on a considerable scale. As for the Na_ tirnal Endowment, by which we presume is meant the wide areas in the centre of the North Island, the right pi licy is to se]] them in suitable blocks, niter taking some security that they will be developed, and not merely held for a rise. Any sit<"s thai are remarkable for scenery or desiraole in other ways should In 1 reserved, and the mountains should be maintained as public lan ;- fvr pubji' 1 '."• raenl. So far, how-

ever, as the bulk of the land is concerned, the sooner it is brought into

use the hotter. The Government might undertake tree-planting on a considerable scale, for it can scarcely he undertaken by anybody else, and is an urgent necessity, for the district itself and for the whole Island. There is, however, no reason why immense areas of the land should be withheld from settlement, and Parliament will do well to release further blocks. It is quite true that those who purchase will re-sell after some years at an advanced price, which may be greater than interest on the money, and may not. ■ Thai is, however, merely an accident compared I" the benefit, the country will -is»rive from having the land settled. Experience the world over points to the freehold as the most effective method of holding land, and the Minister is right in pursuing that system with his homestead policy. It is quite true that in this country we push a good policy further than is wise, and neglect to obtain an adequate share of the increased value that population gives to the land. We hope the Minister may find his homestead system regarded with favour, and only regret that he should lie introducing it when most of the returned soldiers are settled, and many of them in i manner that leads to many misgivings.