SOLDIERS FARMS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 81, 15 June 1943, Page 3

SOLDIERS FARMS

R.S.A. PROPOSALS r

INTEREST IN WAIKATO

During the past few months statements have appeared in the .Waitato papers of the proposals made by Mr D. V. Bryant of Hamilton and Mr A. P. Robinson of Cambridge, in regard to land settlement of soldiers from this Avar. These have, been all to the good in bringing to the notice of the public in general their responsibility as individuals on the question of rehabilitation. But the public should also Jknow that the Returned Services' f Association has for the past four years been fully alive to its' great responsibility in this matter—it is to the credit of the Association that so lon& ago as November 194.0 a special two days Lan ls was held in Wellington at which the whole policy of land settlement was finally and conclusive'}- decided Upon and conveyed on the 'iord of that month to eight Cabinet Minis-

ters. That policj* has been affirmed at succeeding conferences in June 1941, 1942 and Avas again fully investigated and brought to date at the annual conference held, last Aveek in Wellington at which 150 delegates from branches all over New Zealand attended. Since June of lasL year the branches of the R.S.A. in the Waikato. Bay of Plenty and King Country ha\*e sent their delegates to three conferences Avhich have been held in Hamilton and. Rotorua and the three main questions at these conferences have been war pensions, reemployment of returned servicemen and laud settlement. At the conference in Wellington last week proposals for bringing the question of land settlement before the public (and farmers partieularh) were brought forward by Mr F. H. Anderson of Cambridge and seconded by Major-General Sir Andrew Russell. They were to the qjfect that the responsibility of compiling datn (through direct contact with fanners willing to sell) of land available for settlement of men re- : turning from this war should fali upon the branches of the R.S.A.;

I also advice in regard to purchase of land and the settling on it of men selected as suitable. To enable tiiis to be done it was recognised that, as rehabilitation is the responsibility of. everyone in the community and not of the Government alone, everyone, should have the opportunity of assisting branches of the U.S.A. and working with them and that that could best be accomplished through public meetings in all rural centres, at -which the policies of the Rehabilitation Board, the Lands for Settlement Hoard and the Returned Servicemens' Association would be fully explained as regards purchase values and terms, of settlement. Mr G. C. Griffiths of Matamata, as vice-president of the U.S.A. for the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and King Country districts, will be arranging for these meetings during the next month so soon as the fullest information can be placed in the hands of the .speakers appointed by each branch, lit is hoped that with the assistance of all who arc interested progress will be definitely made.with land .settlement plans for the South Auckland Province.