SOLDIER SETTLERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2842, 5 August 1916, Page 10

SOLDIER SETTLERS

A SCHEME OF INSTRUCTION

PRIME MINISTER IS DOUBTFUL

Recently tho Government "proclaimed" an aiea of land near Dannevirke ?° W k- ? s tile Tiri >tu Block, the leases ot which expire shortly, with the idea oi- acquiring, it for returned soldiers. A proposal was made to the Prime Minister yesterday by- a deputation from the H, a J y Wn , r iL Eeli ? f Association, that 500 acres of the block should ,be tw «• . a m? 6 ™, 1 which they outlined. The deputation, which was introduced by Mr. George Hunter, M.P consisted of Messrs. Webb (DanneI'™). Harding (Woodvillc), and E H Williams (Hastings). Mr. Harding said that the proposal was to set apart 500 acres of tho block for-the training in- farming pursuits of returned soldiers who had riot previously had-country experience, but who desired to go on the land. The block was good tarnnng land, bush country, now mostly in-grass. ..The 500 acres would probably be _diyided into three or four ,farms, and would not l>o managed like the Government experimental farms.. One man could be appointed to manage them all and the men could be instructed in working the land in the same way as an ordinary settler .would set to work to get the best possible returns from bush land, and to make.it pay. An advisory board of good practical farmers in the district could overlook the control and management of the farms.

The Prime Minister said "that the rcqnest was that he should take 500 ncres out of the lilock and to use it for a training farm instead of giving it to soldier settlers. But he had morn applications from soldiers for land than he could supply. The Government bought some thousands of acres of hud la=t week, 1.-ut this would not go very far He expected to. have 1000. applications before, tho end of the present year, and ho was looking- forward ultimately to placing- 5000-soldiers on 'the land. There wcmld be more than 5000 cxncrienwd men Jookiii!? for land hut he did not expect that they .would all roako a Success of their holdings. He was afruid lie could not-set aside such' a large block as 500 acres when experienced men were anxious to take up land. "Where could instructs 3 obtained ? He promised to consider the scheme. The Government ivere doin?-something of the sort at Wereroa. but that farm had .p*«ed the stngo of bem? a bush farm. He was not v*rv sanguine aboi,it the Tiratn scheme. Tho lakapau settlement promised to be successful all the men who ■had taken- up-sections were experienced ruen ami thev wero hoing helped bv the Lands Department. With regard to'the«o .soldier settlements, the Government would be very glad of advice or assistance from local farmers. But to set up a traininkestablishment of 50H acres, with accommodation for, say, Sft men, would b» a prettv big order. The building that would have to be erected would Vot be, of tho sort to bo useful to the man finnlW ' settling on -the land. The Government • dirt not lay down hard and fast rules ' about the. selection of settlers. It was : n laml Imar, ' s to choose men Jikely to li 9 successful. Inexperienced men-could go on bush country, hut only ; experienced men could be put " on improved land.