REPATRIATION OF SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2984, 23 January 1917, Page 6

REPATRIATION OF SOLDIERS

AUSTRALIAN PROPOSALS. Interesting details of the novel scheme under which repatriation will be adopted in New South Wales were made available by Mr. Ashford, Minister of Lands, in Sydney last week. At the Premiers' Conference it was decided that the States 'should find the land for soldier settlers, and that tho Commonwealth would provide the backing for advances of up to £500 for equipment and improvements. Each State was left to work out its own details. The New South Wales method! will be such that a soldier-farmer need not enter into any responsibility for Mβ, farm for twelve months or two years. During that time lie will have the opportunity of working on the .land ho proposes to take up, and to which'he will have a preferential right, and will bo paid wages and be provided with his keep. He will also be raider tho direct supervision of an export in the particular branch of farming that Tie has taken up. Fruit and vegetable growing, ■wheat-growing, poultry farming, and agriculture generally will Iks covered by the scheme. It is intended to adopt the co-operative system of buying and selling, and this is expected to lead to the provision of cold storage and tho erection of fruit and vegetable canneries. . . Tlio general principle, tho Minister added, would be applied to all future settlements where there wero ten or more settlers. Tlio wages paid would represent an advance on account of improvements. "Later on," said Mr. Ashford, "when the soldier-farmer has entered into full possession of his land, ■we hope to establish a cd-opcratiyo system permanently and to secure dis<tribution direct from grower to consumer. .... "The idea of tho wage-period is to enable the soldier-farmer to get through tho first unproductive period, ■without stress, and also to train him if he is without sufficient experience. We hope thus to greatly reduce tho percentage of failures. Tlio necessity of 6iich a course may ho recognised br tho public when I mention that in ordinary Crown lands settlement at least 33 per cent, of settlers prove failures."