FOR RETURNED MEN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 228, 21 October 1940, Page 8

FOR RETURNED MEN

PROVIDING OF LAND requirements outlined In moving the second reading of the Small Farms Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives the Minister of Lands, Mr Langstone. stated that there was nothing new in the measure in the way of compulsory powers for the acquisition of land, but the process was to be speeded up to provide land for returned soldiers. This was a responsibility which everyone recognised, but the Crown to-day had no areas of waste lands. In fact, so far back as' 1894 it was necessary for the Liberal Government to commence buying large areas. All the worth-while land was in private hands. If the Government settled soldiers on the land it would have to be in suitable localities at a proper price, otherwise the process -would only repeat what had been done on the previous occasion. Though the measure was a Small Farms Amendment, members should not have five to 10 acres in their minds. Farms for soldiers must •be an economic proposition. A dairying farm, for instance, would have to be of a size so that its productive capacity would return all expenses and a good standard of living for the returned soldier.