RASH LAND DEALS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 261, 23 July 1918, Page 4

RASH LAND DEALS

* MINISTER WARNS RETURNED SOLDIERS. : Certain sellers of land have been adopting a questionable practice lately in order tn attract as buyers returned soldiers. They have by advertisement or otherwise led the soldier to believo that lie has only to buy the property and the Government will finance tliemirchase (or him. The soldier in snmo cases has made the purchase, paid a deposit which will be sufficient to pay commission, and then hns found thnt the. Government will not finance him at all.

This matter has been brought to tha notice of the Minister in chaise of returned soldiers' affairs, the Hon. D. H'. Guthrie, and yesterday he made lo u reporter a statement intended lo be a. waning tn soldiers about tn emlvirk on any land rmrchnso. The Minister asks soldiers who are thinking of askinj? financial nesist'ic? from (ho Government in the purchase of land on which they wish to settle to communicate with tl'e Commissioner of Ornwn Lands in IVir hpfnvo committing themselves, and especially before they nart with' anv of th»ir cash. If a soldier fi'vls a 'jii-ce nf bind 'vb : "h he Hr'-v* will suit him. he should noVise Hie Commi'is'nni'v of O n m giving nil available fTfioiilars as to (he location, aca. and nrhc of the properly. Tmmednfolv upon ''""nint nf such advice the P"nart"i»nt will semi an inspector lo v'«w the tron»"ty and report nnon it. That cw'More the land Purchase Hoard, and the board may recommend the nt once, or if there) seems to be a"v doubt as to whether tho land is w-th V'" monev asked for it. mnv send a""lher vhi»r out, who will make, a separate valuation. Tf the board should at le""th consider that the property is one (hat should V bomrht. tho matter is referred to the who in turn submits it to Cabinet. If Cabinet approves, which is usually tho case, the deal is made. This need net occupy in all more than one week. Then the Department is ready, lo put the soldier on the seleclion. He may eo on as a leasehold tenant with right of purchase at the original purchase .price, or he may nurchnse on the easiest of terms, with interest n't 5 per cent, .on his unpaid balance of purchase money. In these davs no private owner of land will readily give such, easy terms. There are no troublesome regulations about the repayment of the money. If at any lime a tenant, wishes to nay back any part of the monev, or to nay back all of it. the payment will be accented, interest being elided until the date of repayment. This is a variation of the rules applying to advances to ordinary borrowers from the Government, and the concession is made to, help the soldier settlers in every possible wny._ The Minister savs that he wishes lo point out to a soldier desiring to get a -niece, of land that he can get heln from the Government by asking for it. if the land is worth the monev he, proposes to pay for it But the Government cannot and does not undertake to finnnc« any purchase made bv the soldier without reference to the 'Government. Some such applications have had to be refused, because the land was not worth the price asked or was unsuitable, and the Ministor advises that in order to avoid disappointments the soldier ought to come fiv«t to the Government before committin? himself to a purchase or paying any deposit. _____„___—