SOLDIER SETTLERS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 199, 11 May 1918, Page 2

SOLDIER SETTLERS

STRONG COMPLAINTS PROM A MAIN j TRUNK SETTLEMENT. | Sir,—l will bo very much obliged iE | vou will put the contents of this letter j before the public through tho medium j of your valuable paper. There have been '. several letters lately about all tho New j Zealand Government are doing to assist returned 6okliers on the land, and it is | usually, taken for granted that we are • well supplied with everything we rcquiro; within reason. I do not know how the soldier settlors are faring on other settle, ments, but if they aro treated in the same wav as we are hero I pity them, This block was bought by tho Government about a vear ago, and it was balloted for last June, and the unimproved value is'£4o per acre. I armed here with two other Miction holders on July 11 last, and wo had quite a picnic, and had it not been for the assistance of a neighbouring farmer we would have had to carry all wo possessed through mud to our 'knees, as thero was neither road nor track, and wo had to pick our way through rand holed and rushes and over stumps and logs. We pitched enmp, and things went well for a week or so, and then our real trouble started, and I may as well montion here that it still continues. Thoso of us who had ordered cows through tho Government were forced to take delivery oi them in tho first week in August, and most of us had twontv cows each. Wo had also ordered wire for our fences through tho same channel, and wo wore informed from time to tame that wiro was unprocurable, and the result was that we had bo fences and the cows hold a roaming commission, and many a morning myself and my mato wore out long before daylight, wet, fine, or frosty, to round up our cows, or as many of them as wo could find amongst tho bushes and tall fescue. Well, this game went on month after month, and at last wo bought wire in Wanganui for ,£5 less per ton than the Government could buy it in Wellington, or as wo vera informed.

I will now state that our sections aro weighted to supply roads and water to our holdings. Tho Government's idea was to put in a high water pressure scheme, and it was started several months ago in a gully about 1\ miles away, where there was supposed to be a i permanent spring, but after spending a considerable sum of money they have abandoned the idea, and it is what soldiers term "a washout." Tho sections on tho top flat had no water at all, with tho exception of nno small dam of stinking water, and tho unlucky holders of these sections wero compelled to drive their coivs to neighbouring farmers' places and milk them there, where the.v could get water, until they wero short of feed through being overstocked. Things got m bad that at last tha Department installed an engine to pump water up a steep bank 170 ft. high, and pipes were laid to tha sections nn tho top flat. It is a pity (hat piping is so dear, otherwise these men, may have hail the water on their sections where they could get at it, j but instead they have to cart all the water they require for their sheds and other uses-', as the stuck in fomo out-of-the-way corner in each section. Well, so ranch for tho water; now for tho roads. The.v were started o.bout two months ago, and now they have been metalled on the top flat, but there is a big cutting to bo made down a bank 150 ft. high or thereabouts, and tho contractor who metalled the road has this cutting (o put through, but to our misfortune he hns left to finish some other work which ho says will take three weeks if the weather holds good, but if otherwise he may bo away six weeks. I have been here now over eight months, and two other men have been here the same time, and our only outlet, is up an old track the grade of which is about 1 in 10 and in places 1 in 5, and needless to say it is as much as any horse can do to pull an enmty cart up, without a can of cream weighing over 501b. The metal for the road was taken from the top of this track, and tho contractor left it in such a condition that we had to clear the track with shovels to enable us to get up with our cream and bring down our stores. There were several officials n the Lands Department and other bodies on this block less than a week ago but they couldn't spare the tune (o see it' we five, section holders on the river lint had anv means of getting our cream out. I suppose the road was 100 bad for them, but good enough lor us. We have no road, but at the same lime we aro expected to pay our rent in advance, and onlv yesterday I received notice to pav ,C 72 v l3s. lid., a half-years 1 vonl, and unless this is paid I am liable to have mv lease cancelled. I. consider it. quite time enough for the second halfvear's rent to be paid when we have a voad to our sections, and 1 think it is onlv a fair, square deal that I hive responsible for our present circumstances should *ci> thai w« Ret some ronsidprn lion. It is (rue wo have tho Kaugitikei

River lo get a drink of water, hut vr« want untor for our houses and cow* sheds; \vu will havo to pump it ua* selves or carry it Ihe host way wo can, but wo will have to instal a powerful plant as our houses and slieds are well over 100 feet from tho river level. Wo have sent in several petitions, especially about having this year's rent auded to tlio capital value or our sections, but they have simply been treated as swaps of paper. There ero patriotic societies in practically ever? town and township, and 111ey, like "the Government, make believe that they Jiar« our interests at heart, but I can say With safety that not a r einglo member of any bociety has called of written to mo to find out how things arc going- Wo have now come to the conclusion that wo will havo to eany on tho best way we can under tlio present circumstances, for there cannot possibly be much alteration tor at least thneo mouths, and only then if tho wea-th-r holds good. It we had been squatters ifisteiMt of soldiers thin cutting would liavtf been put through nionthfi ago, hut as wo arc of no importance tliey do not trouble to assist us. It ib> cases such as this that make men low heart and throw m th >r sections sooner than put up with Cms red tape. It must, aiso be remembered that wo have been discharged irom the Army as until; tor further service to-- various reasons, and tliero arc nines when many oi uefeel more like goinsi to bed tlna.ii trying to .mprovo our sccuons in some s.nape ov form, but if we go to bed, who will . uu our worK or pjy our rent:- and tno latter the Lauds Department say they must have whether we aro well or other- • 1 have no complaints 'to make about the Crown Lauds ranger, for I take it--1 that he simply canvas out his instructions, livA wnat 1- know of him he is a ' man willing' to assist us in any way with- ' in his power. ) think I have written ' enough' to let tho general public sso ' that a soldier settler's lot is not all sun- ; shine, and I hope that some persons who behove in a fair deal will try and assist; ' us in some way and not let this om> sided, business continue much longer.— •l m ' Btp " OEOBGB F. HAAIt 1 Putorino Settlement, Kata, March 21. ! TTho above letter was not sent direct t to The Dominion office-, and through a misunderstanding it has only now reachr ed us. It will be noted that it is dated Man* SI. Though some. of he gnevances complained of may sincehavo been redressed, it i« obvious that the matte is one wkich calls for 'f*''T: and wo would commend it to the attention of the Minister is «harge ot the t Department.]