LAND FOR SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2667, 12 January 1916, Page 6

LAND FOR SOLDIERS

POPULAR MISAPPREHENSION STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER — In spite'of tho wide publicity given the Government's proposals for placing returned soldiers on land, some misapprehension still exists as to the amount of assistance the Government is ready to. give to returned soldiers. In view of the prevalent misapprehension, of which' he has had some evidence recently, the Prime Minister made a statement on the subject yesterday. "Not .only is preference at ordinary land ballots given' to returned soldiers and soldiers on active service," said Mr. Massey,; "but blocks of land are specially set ' apart for soldiers in almost every land district in New Zealand. With the object of assisting soldiers with agricultural leanings to get on tho land, legislation was agreed to by Parliament last session, in the discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, which provides • that the Governor may from time to time by proclamation set apart any area 'or areas of Crown land, or land purchased under the Settlement Act, to be disposed of by lease or sale tn discharged soldiers. The same Act also provides for financial assistance to scldier settlers, for the purposes of general improvements such as clearing, fencing, draining, and the erection of buildings, and the purchase of implements and stock. The administration of this part of the Act is left with the Land Boards, and if a board considers that it is desirable that financial assistance should be given to the settlers, the board will make a recommendation to that effect to the Minister for Lands, and will set ' out tho nature end extent of the assistance recommended. Tho Act provides for the raising of £50,000 for those advances. This will probably be only a very small part of tho sum which may yet be required for this purpose, but for the present it is ample. Having in mind the mistakes of previous attempts at land settlement, provision was made in the Act by Parliament that no land leased or sold to discharged soldiers shall be transferred until ten years after tho_ commencement of the lease, except with the consent of the Land Board and with the approval of the Minister of Lands. "In addition to the setting apart of special blocks of land there is the further provision made that if a soldier applies to a land board for a section, and there happens to be no section -tvaitable from lands speoially reserved for soldiers, the board is to supply the soldier with a section, and is to forward at onco to the Minister particulars of the section allotted, in order that-it may be proclaimed under the Discharged Soldiers' Aot,. ,'lf 't is found later that we have not suiheient Crown land for the needs of soldiers, I shall be prepared to purchase blocks of improved privatelyowned laud in different parts of Now Zealand for settlement by soldiers. Mr. Massey stated, further, that,, a special Information Bureau had been established to supply returned soldiors wfEh all information they, could possibly require about how to set about getting on the land, or about other matters'. If the men wanted work, this bureau, which was a Government Department, wouictfhid it for them. Leaflets of instruction were issued, and the Defence Department had published a Returned Soldiers' Hand Book. There was not the slightest noed for soldiers missing through ignorance of the facts any of tho advantages to which they were entitled.