LAND FOR SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2465, 19 May 1915, Page 8

LAND FOR SOLDIERS

INTEREST OF ABSENTEES

PROVISroN TO SAFEGUARD THEM. Tho Prime Minister is mindful of the soldiers fighting their country's fight in (Europe, and he has made arrangements to provide that none of them shall lose, iwt any rate in rospccfc to land settlement, by their absence from tho Dominion.

"1 have instructed the TJndor-Secre-iJary for Lands," ho informed a reporter yesterday, "to send a circular io the Commissioners of Crown Lands throughout New Zealand, telling thofn that I desire that in all cases settlers who are now. serving at the front with our troops should be treated in the most liberal manner. In no case should any forfeiture for non-complianco with residence, improvements, or other conditions of ( the' lease take place without '.first submitting full particulars to the department and to myself, and if 'any liettfcr. who is at the front or who desires to go to the front wishes to transfer his section, every reasonable facility niust be given to allow of the approval of the application to transfer. I intend during the coming session to introduce legislation authorising mcml>ers of the Expeditionary Forces to apply for oithcr Crown or settlement lands-. In the meantime if any land board'is satisfied that a hoiis-fide relative or oven a_frieii<l is. applying for land with tho-'u'ltlmato view of transferrins. the section ,to a man who is fighting his country's battles at the front; the board should uso discretion, and by no means treat such an application as diinimyism.

"I propose to set apart in the near future suitable blocks of land for settleincut 'by members of the Expeditionary Forces on their return to the Dominion. Unfortunately, the area of Crown land of good quality now remaining is very limited, but I intend to do my best for returning soldiers."