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possible the export of the more perishable food products such as butter, cheese, and meat. These developments, coupled with the improvement of internal transport by the construction of railways and of relatively good macadamized roads, led to the development of large new areas of land, particularly in the Waikato, and to the more intensive cultivation in the Canterbury, Otago, Manawatu, and Taranaki districts. As a net result, farming population increased in considerable numbers. Owing to the relative absence of mechanized appliances on the farms, there was a fairly strong demand for agricultural labour. Industries in the urban areas were largely of the localized service type necessary for the maintenance of the existing rural population. The third period began at approximately 1920. The availability of the internalcombustion engine had revolutionary effects not only in terms of internal transport, but also in terms of farming methods. This fact, coupled with the development of hydro-electricity, made it possible for dairy-farms in particular to be very highly mechanized. When with this fact is coupled the development of artificial fertilizers and better farm-management techniques, some explanation is forthcoming for the very large increase in production, particularly in the dairying field, although in the frozen-meat field the development was only slightly less important. The per-man production in agriculture to-day is very much greater than in the previous period. There is no suggestion, even yet, that we have reached an end of the progress possible in this direction. The net consequence is that the demand for agricultural labour has relatively fallen. Since in the early days farmers' sons provided a good proportion of the farm labour necessary, it is obvious that with the mechanization of rural industry many of these sons themselves are to-day unable to find employment directly in rural pursuits. The mechanization of agriculture has created a very considerable demand for employment in those industries associated with the servicing of mechanized appliances, whether it be in the field of the internal-combustion engine or in the field of electricity. In a very real sense such industries are secondary to the primary industries, and in a realistic examination of the position of the agricultural population in New Zealand some allowance should be made for those employed in such direct secondary industries. B. LAND HOLDINGS The general trend of the evidence before the Committee was that there was little scope for further land settlement in New Zealand. Before commenting on the wisdom of accepting this conclusion it is proposed to outline the course of land settlement and development, both as it affects area and population. The total area of the Dominion, excluding Cook Islands and other Pacific Islands annexed in 1901, but including the Kermadec and other outlying islands, is 66,390,657 acres, of which 42,978,309 acres were occupied in 1944. This latter figure includes reserves and Native land leased, but excludes land within borough boundaries, holdings of less than 1 acre in extent, and Native land held on the communal system. A picture of the development of land settlement in New Zealand can be seen from a picture of the area of land occupied over a period of years. The following table shows the total area of land occupied (with the exceptions noted in the previous paragraph) at various dates : Table xVo. 67.—Table showi 'ng Total Area in Acres of Occupied Land in New Zealand at various Dates since 1878 Date. Acres. Date. Acres. 1878 .. .. .. 12,579,072 1911 .. .. .. 40,238,126 1881 .. .. .. 15,206,897 1916 .. .. .. 41,262,193 1886 .. .. .. 17,077,074 1921 .. .. .. 43,473,-079 1891 .. .. .. 19,397,529 1925 .. .. .. 43,632,372 1896 .. .. • .. 33,312,212 1930 .. .. .. 43,368,653 1901 .. .. .. 34,911,573 1935 .. .. .. 43,104,559 1906 .. .. .. 37,167,460 1941 .. .. .. 42,888,337

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