The Press. Thursday, April, 12, 1917. Soldiers on the Land.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15873, 12 April 1917, Page 6

The Press. Thursday, April, 12, 1917. Soldiers on the Land.

•;vFhe question of settling soldiers on the land, referred to nt the meeting of the ( Patriotic Society yesterday, is one of fi'-yery'jtjtwb importance, and deserves all . tho consideration that can be given to it. Everyone' admits that if the returning * soldiers could bo successfully > sottled on tho land it -would ba an ideal arrangement for all concerned. Jt ' would enable tho men to to also homes and own a;livelihood under the best ; possible conditions. Thoy would help to increase th& > production of wealth and assist io the development of our resources, so necessary in tho interests of tho Empire if we aro to repair tho . ravages of tho war. But there are ,\ sevoral difficulties in the way, and these must be met in practice. In the first place it is obviously impossible for every vi goldier who wishes to go on tho land to ' bo completely financed, either by the . State alone, or even with the aid of tho various Patriotic Societies. All that can be done is to help the men in suitable cases to help themselves. Gifts of money to men with no previous experience of country life and work, to enable them to tako up and stock at piece of •land, would simply be money wasted in ■ ■a Wge number of cases. Men who are •prepared to work hard and help themselves may be assisted in the task of acquiring a home, but that is . about as far as the funds available will go. Our own view is that the settlement of soldiers ;is only part of a very much larger problem before'the Government. • • In view of the heavy increase in our national debt and the additional taxation which, the war has imposed upon lis, it is urgently necessary to double, i? not treble,, our production. To do ; this a largo amount, of new land will •havo to be brought into cultivation, and a substantial increase in our popu- • lotion will bo needed. The Government ought to go in for a larger colonising ■scheme, acquiring for that purpose ?. some of the native land in the North • Island. The introduction of a number of British settlers wffii some capital would vary properly form part of such a scheme, and tho settlement of soldiers could be made to dovetail into it very conveniently. For tho reasons given in previous articles, we think it would be a great mistake to form settlements of soldiers only. They do ; far bettor if their holdings were sandwiched in between larger properties on • which they could earn wages and bo get the 'ready money so, essential to the analler settler when he first goes ' opon the land. The idea of settling a

Canterbury returned soldier in Canterbury, and an Otago soldier in Otago only, must, we think, be abandoned. The men must bo sent to where they can get the land which is cheapest and best suited to their requirements. That policy will not only be best for tbo soldiers, but in the long run it will bo best for the Dominion, and best for every part of it.