LAND FOR SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2797, 15 June 1916, Page 6

LAND FOR SOLDIERS

THE SCHEME IN DETAIL COMPREHENSIVE STATEMENT HOW TO GET A SECTION . A statement regarding the plans and o£ , the Government in the settlement of -discharged soldiers on land was presented to the House of Representatives yesterday, following are extracts from the report:— When a discharged soldier wishes to take up land the procedure is as follows: prto obtains a provisional application form from any Land Oflice or from the Discharged Soldiers' Information Department, and, having answered the various Questions on it, and having stated the land district in which he wishes to settle, he forwards the form to the Commissioner of Crown Lands for that district, the Commissioner will then furnish the applicant with all particulars of the available lands in the locality indicated, and upon Ins choosing a section (provided inquiries'show that he has an honourable discharge) his application for it will bo placed before the Land Board for consideration.. All-applications are dealt with by Jhe Land Board, and it is the H ""L board and the Commissioner ox Crown Lands to assist applicants as iF i. as P in acquiring suitable allotments. Disposal of the Land. Under, Section i of the : Act land may of to discharged soldiers either by way of sale or by lease, and applications must be made on the form prescribed for tho respective'- tenures, livery applicant to purchase or to lease land under the Act and the regulations under the Act must supply with his application a statutory declaration, that (a) he is a discharged soldier within the meaning of the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act, 1915;- (b) ho is, subject to the provisions of the said Act, applying for the land described in the accompanying- apjjlication solely for his own use and benefit, and not directly or indirectly for. the use or benefit of any other person or persons whatsoever; (c) his answers to the questions set out in the application are true and correct in every particular. If two or more applications are received in respect of one allotment of land,' the, Land Board shall determine which of the applicants, in its opinion, is most suitable to occupy the land, or is most in need of the land, and shall dispose of the land so as to comply with the direction of the said Act that the board shall, as far as practicable, assist applicants in acquiring suitable allotments. If the board is unable to determine between the claims of two or more applicants it shall cause a ballot-to be' taken in tho manner in which ballots are taken for the purposes of the Land Act, 1908. • Purchase of. Land. In the case of land disposed of by way of-sale, the price is,fixed by the Land Board, with the approval of the Minister of Lands. .In the case of lands disposed of on deferred payment the following pror visions from the regulations under the Act shall apply (a.) The purchaser shall forthwith, ou the approval of his application, pay a deposit equal to 5 per cent, of the price of the land, and shall thereupon be entitled to leceive a: license to occupy- the land. ' ; ' 1 . , . . (b.) The license to occupy shall provide for the payment of the balance of 95 per cent. of. the price by equal annual instalments extending over such period as the board in-each case determines, with the right of the licensee to pay off at any time the whole or any part of the price remaining unpaid; and shall also provide for the payment by the licensee of interest half-yearly at tho rate of's per cent, per annum .on the unpaid balance.

.(c) Upon payment of the price in/full and of all interest the purchase .shall be deemed to be completed, and a 1 certificate of title for.the land shall.be issued accordingly. Leases. . In the case .of land disposed of by way of lease under Section i of the Act, every lease shall,: according to the regulations under the Act, be for such term, with or without a right or renewal, as the board in each case. may determine; but 110 lease under Section.'4. shall be for a longer term than thirty-three years in the case of lands acquired under 'the Land- for : Settlements Act, or sixty-six years in the case of other lands, a perpetual right of renewal for further successive terms of thirty-three or sixtysix years, as the case may be. Tho value of the improvements required to be ef-' fected by the lessee shall in each case be determined by the board. Every lessee shall be required to reside continuously on the. land comprised in his lease, except in cases in which tlie board is satisfied that the land can be effectively used by the lessee for the purpose for which it was ' acquired without residence, in. which case the date of residence may, if the hoard thinks fit, be postponed or dispensed with. The! rent. payable under any lease shall be determined by the board, and shall not in any case be more than per cent, on. the capital value of the land as determined by the board. In the ease of a renewable lease tho rent payable on renewal 6hall be determined by the board. On the termination by effluxion of time of a lease, if a renewal of such lease is not granted, the .lessee shall be entitled to receive from tlie Crown the value of all existing improvements effected by him or by a predecessor in title. Tho lessee may, with the approval of the hoard and the consent of the-Minister, at any time during the continuance of the lease, acquire tho fee-simple, of the land, except it be national endowment land. The previously described provision with regard to a deposit of 5 per cent, of the -Capital value of the land and the payment of the balrelating to the purchase of land on deferred payments) . shall, mutatis mutandis, apply to the acquisition of "the fee-simple of leased land. When a lease is changed'for a 'certificate of title or license to occupy in .the-manner prescribed above the certificate or license shall be subject to all mortgages and other charges (if ,any) existing at the termination of the lease with respect to that,land. Financial Assistance. As it was recognised that there would be many discharged soldiers wishing to take up land and who would not nave the capital.' requisite for effecting the improvements to the-land that in most cases would be necessary, Section 6 provides that the Minister may, on the recommendation of the Land Board, either with or without special "application, assist/an applicant in the clearing, fencing, and general improvement of tlie land, erection of buildings, purchase of implements,. stock, seed, trees, and any such other things as may be deemed necessary for the successful occupation of the land. All moneys advanced or expended by the Minister under tho authority of Section 6 shall bear interest at such rate as may be. determined by the Minister, and shall l>e secured' by - way of a first mortgage over' the land or over the settlers interest in the land; but tho Minister may, if he thinks fit, in any case of hardship, dispense wholly or in part with the payment of interest' under this Section. By. the regulations under the Act it is provided that any money advanced for the purchaso of stock is secured by a bill of sale, which is collateral with the mortgage, to secure moneys advanced for effecting permanent improvements on the land. The regulations also provide that the amount of any loan made for tho erection of buildings, fencing, clearing, and general improvements may be advanced to the extent of 75 per cent, of the value of the work done by the mortgagor. Tho balance of the money will ■be paid on the certificate of some person appointed by the Minister that the work has been satisfactorily completed. Tho total of the advances made to one person shall not exceed <£500. Miscellaneous Provisions. Authority is given to the Minister tf Finance to raise, on the security of and charged. upon the public revenues of New Zealand, such amount as he thinks fit, not exceeding in tho aggregate the sum of .£50,000. It is provided that no land leased or sold to a discharged soldier under the Act shall, except with the consent of the Land Board, aaid the approval of the Minister of Lands, be

transferred until the expiry of ten year 1 * from the date of the sale or the commencement of the lease.■

Lands Not Reserved for Soldiers. As an ordinary member of the community a discharged soldier may take up land under the Land Act, 190S, anc. the Land for Settlement Act, 1908; but under Section 23 of the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1015, it is provided that the Minister may, subject to such conditions as he thinks fit, exempt from the payment of rent under his lease or license any lessee or licensee of Crowu land or settlement land, or any other land administered by a land board, who is or at any time has been a momber of an Expeditionary Force raised for military service beyond New Zealand in connection with the present war. By Section 24 of this Act it is provided that any duly authorised agent of a member of a New Zealand Expeditionary Force may apply on behalf of that member for any land that may be open for application under either the Land Act, 1908, or tho Land for Settlements Act, 1908, at any time while tho said member is absent from New Zealand on military service. Such applicants, ana also applicants who have at any time been members of a New Zealand Expeditionary Force, shall at . any ballot be entitled to the same preference as that accorded to married men-who have families dependent on them, or single men who have been twice unsuccessful at a. ballot.. Discharged soldiers applying for land under this Act do not get the special advantages provided for 'in the, Discharged Soldiers'. Settlement Act. Selection of Land. Having decided on the advisability of encouraging soldiers to.settle on the land, it became necessary to select the land suitable for their settlement, and to get it ready for allotting to them. The Commissioners of Crown Lands were instructed to supply returns giving a list of all the lands suitable in their districts for occupation by discharged soldiers, and it was ascertained that there are in tho Dominion a total of about 500,000 acres of land more or less suitable. This laud has been provisionally • set apart for discharged soldiers, but in most cases before it can bo got ready for settlement, road and subdivision surveys and plans of the land'are required to be made; these works, however, are being proceeded with as fast as jwssible. Of tho 500,000 acres of land provisionally set apart up to the end of March, 67,855 acres have formally been proclaimed under the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act, 1915. ' Preparing Farms. It has been decided to cut up some blocks of land into suitable sections, and, before; finally settling soldiers on them, to effect such improvements as will enable selectors to make a living off their sections. As far as possible soldiers will be employed in effecting these improvements. Fruit-Farming. In connection with the settlement, of discharged soldiers on the land, it was thought that there would be some who would prefer fruit-farming to the more strenuous life entailed by other forms of farming, but as fruit-farming is a business that one. needs considerable experience in before starting, and also as it takes some years before an orchard becomes profitable, it has been decided to plaiit certain areas in fruit-trees, particularly apples. The fruit industry is increasing with very rapid strides, and it can confidently be expected that a man with, ordinary intelligence and industry oau make'a comfortable living from this occupation. Assistance in Hawke's Bay. It is understood that a large sum has been set aside by the Hawke's,Bay War Relief Association to assist tho discharged soldiers, in working their, holdings, and at a recent conference of the sub-com-mittee of the association with the Hawke's Bay Land Board it was agreed' to work together in tho matter of advancing money.