The Waikato Times. With which is Incorporated The Waikato Argus. TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1926. CENSUS RETURNS.

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16817, 8 June 1926, Page 4

The Waikato Times. With which is Incorporated The Waikato Argus. TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1926. CENSUS RETURNS.

All the information that comes to hand from the census statistics points to the movement of population from the country to the suburbs of the cities. Each of our cities shows an increase, but not to any marked extent, and Auckland shows less than the others. The reason is probably that many dwellings have been abandoned to make room for shops and factories. The population is moving away from land which has become valuable to go further out to better conditions at a lower price. This is the general experience in all town:? which show much growth and development, and it is one which we may ltail with pleasure. We shall not feel the same pleasure in finding that the growth in the counties is not proportionate to the growth of the towns. In spite of the extraordinary statement made by the lion. A. D. McLeod, the agricultural development of New Zealand has not been completed; it has in fact not gone very far, and for years to come the energies of whoever may be in power should be devoted to the increase of settlement. Great Britain is not considered to be an agricultural country. It is about the same size as New Zealand, and much of it is devoted to industrial pursuits. In 1921 there were twice as many cattle in Britain as in New Zealand; there were nine sheep to our ten, while there was an area in wheat nine limes as large as in New Zealand. Thirty million acres arc under cultivation in Britain against eighteen million acres here. These figures show how far we have to go before we can consider that the country has been developed, aud it is not pleasant to learn that the majority of the j population are looking for a town life. It should be the aim of the Government to correct this tendency. The papers at the present lime arp full of the sad tale of the unemployed to be found in the large centres. A certain small percentage of unemployment is inevitable, but when the numbers show a large increase it is an indication thai something is wrong. Mr McLeod, who has a talent for saying the wrong thing, declares that the unemployment is political. Does he think that these men have thrown up their employment in order to discredit his party? Such talk is foolish. The existence of unemployed in sucl; numbers as at present is certainly not creditable to the Government, but the chief fault lies with Governments in the past. We are reaping the fruits of actions taken during the last five or six years, and it would be a wise step to lake to consider where we have gone wrong and what may be cionc to remedy it. It is perhaps futile to expect any Government to cl.) this, as their thoughts are directed solely to the nursing of votes, but they might reflect that conditions like the present will end in creating much opposition. We arc badly in want of a land settlement policy. It would pay the Government to employ many of the men now looking for work to do the first rough pioneering over selected areas. Many of the men would be delighted to take up seclions if it could be made possible. At present workers in town have i week of 47 hours, their wages are regulated by awards, when they suffer from the high price of bread wages arc increased, and when they make anything they arc protected from competition by Customs duties, ft is not strange that under these ci"cumstances men And their way to town, What is strange is that Ministers should fancy ihat their scolding will undo the effects of their action continued for some years. Men are admonished to get into the country, although at this lime of the year there is little work open for them. Whatever Mr McLeod may think, it is not political reasons that induce men to stick to town. There is one other lesson that is to be learnt from census statistics. The population is moving to the suburbs, and the motor bus lias nv.de this possible. The recent regulations seem to regard this movement as something lhat should be chocked. Railway authorities have never made any attempt lo cope witli suburban traffic, and allowed the tramway systems to provide for the public. When the areas of suburban settlement increased the motor-bus look up tiie running, and the Government, which never made any effort itself to provide for suburban traffic, is now trying lo prevent motor-buses from doing so. They will not of course succeed; it will take more than regu-

iations to stop ihc growth of population or ils settlement in the most convenient silos. 'flic regulations I may, however, cause a good deal of inconvenience to the public and (boy may retaliate on the Government which has caused lluj inconvenience. Wo have for a long lime left undone those lliings we ought to have done; now we are going further ami are doing lliose things lhat ought not to be done.