SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 52, 25 November 1919, Page 9

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

4 PROGRESS IN THE UREWERA COUNTRY COMPLIMENTS FOR THE MINISTER OP LANDS Speaking at Kongotca recently, Mr. E. Newman. M.P., said that ho wished to congratulate the lion. D. 11. Guthrie on his work as Minister of Lands. His energy and honesty of purpose were undoubted, and ho had succeeded in settling a largo number of returned soldiers since the war ended. Tho average price of private estates bought was ill per acre. Mr. Newman thought tho time had eomo when a vigorous effort should be made to settle tho bush lands of tho Urewera Country, about <00,000 acres, by (soldiers. The Government owned large areas of this country, but on account of tho difficulty connected with Native titles in portion of it settlement had been retarded. He suggested that such blocks of Native land as were surrounded by Government purchased land should bo acquired compulsorily, the Natives being provided with land elsewhere and fully compensated. That would get over ono difficulty. The next point is accessibility. He suggested that that could be got over cheaply and speedily with light railways, such as were used during the war in Belgium and France. .Once accessibility was provided a large special settlement of returned soldiers on bush land could be established, the men doing all the work of reading and building, and part of the bushfelling and fencing, under Government guidance. He wished to point out thnt under such a system all the so-called unoarned increment would go 'to the soldiers. The Government would only require repayment ot money advanced. Further, the production "of the Domonion would be enormously increased by the settlement of this land. From his experience as a bush farmer, ho considered that men settled on such land would do better than nny other class o£ - settlor Hi Now Zealand.