SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 10, 7 October 1920, Page 6

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

A MODIFIED POLICY ANNOUNCED NO PURCHASE OF HOUSES DISCOURAGING TRAFFICKING AND SPECULATION. Mr. P., Masters (Stratford) asked a question in tho House of Representatives yesterday regardiiiy the policy of tho Government in tho settlement of returned soldiers on tho laJid. He had heard, ho stated, that certain now instructions, relating to the purchase of single farms and of houses, had been sent to tho Conimissiouers of Crown Lands. The Minister of Lauds (Mr. Guthrie) replied that ho had already written to the Boturried Soldiers' Association on this mat lev. Tho position was that no further applications would be accepted by the Lands Department for the purchase of houses under tho Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act except in, ex-' ceptional cases. The future policy of tho Government would bo to encourage soldiers to apply for advances to erect houses. This would help to relievo the existing shortage of houses and would make the available funds go much furwith regard to rural land tho Department, except hi cases where a man had paid his valuation tfoe. would discontinue making advances for the purchase of single farms, but would consider applications from two or mora soldiers eligible under tho Act for the purchaso of a property suitable for subdivision. Where a soldier had sufficient money to provide the Advances to Settlers' Department with tho necessary margin of security, ho would bo ablo to apply for tho purchase of a farm through that channel: The restriction in regard to rural land would not apply to small poultry, bee''fruit and market-gardening farms. • The Minister added that no applications for the discharge of existing mortga"es would be accepted by the Government unless in most exceptional circum- • stances, such aa if tho mortgagee could prove that he was charged an exorbitant into of interest. If the mortgagee was paying the current rate.of interest, he must carry on. Advances on current account for the purchaso of stock and implements and for effecting improvements would bo dealt with as usual. It had boon stated in a Wellington newspaper that much trafficking m soldiers' land was proceeding. That was not tho case. The Department ill a fewcases had found it necessary to let soldiers out, owing to their inability to work the land for one reason or another, but tho soldiers generally could not traffic in the land and houses purchased for them until ten years had elapsed. Everything possible was done by tho Department to stop any speculation or trafficking in these properties. Mr' Guthrio added that all applications'passed up to September 23 had been dealt with. The recommendations that bad been made by the. Commissioners since that date would bo cleared up very quickly. . notlsiatics THE PRAYER OF THE SYRIANS. The M to Z Petitions Committee yesterday recommended to tho Government for consideration tho petition of tho New Zealand Syrian Benevolent Society, of Wellington, praying for legislation defining tho term "Asiatics" under tho I'pnsions Act, 1913, and in. any other Act. which creates disabilities for natives ot Syria as "Asiatics." , Mr. Wilford (.Hutt) spoke in. support, of tho claim of the Syrians to bo.treatcd os an allied people. Ho referred to the plucky fighting of the Syrian people against the Turks during the war and to the friendly associations that had been established by tho rearrangement* of torritories in Syria and Palestine. THE FLAXJNDUSTRY THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION. Mr W. H. Field (Otaki) has given notice of the. following question to the Pr me Minister :-"(l) WMher ho i» aware that our hemp-manufaoturing industry which is now seriously emtar3'by enormously increased railway reghts/is from that and other causes steadily giving way to dairying and sock- attening. and magnificent flax s being destroyed in the process? (i, Whether he will not, as Minister m charge of this valuable labour-absorbing industry, intervene and see that t»« . question of railway freight on hemp is . ,(3) Whether he wiU as- , eist in any way lie fairly can to encourage the manufacture into paper of Mich , portion of the waste products of flaxleaf as is suitable for that purpose? (4) Whether he will take such other steps as ho may deem necessary to save this our own exclusive industry from extinction?" SAHOAN CONSTABLE'S PETITION ' Mr. E. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs) ■. yesterday presented to the House a petition from William Henry Jlerritt, of 2al ■ Taranaki Street, Wellington. Petitioner, who gave his age as fitty years, stated that on November 28, 1919, he was appointed to the Sanioun Constabulary Force, and sailed with it to the Islands. Volunteers for the force were told by the authorities raising it that if appointed they would hold their appointments for a period pf three veal's, provided they wore efficient. Petitioner did duty-with' the force until September 10, 1920 and had an unblemished record. On tho date mentioned he was informed that the New Zealand Government had decided to reduce the strength of the constabulary in Samoa, and that lie could no longer be employed. His services were accordingly dispensed with as from September 30, 1920. At present lie was unemployed, and bad no means of support during his search for employ- ■ ment. Had not the inducement of throe ' years' employment been, held out to him 1 he would not have joined the* constnbn- > larv and so lost opportunities of other! > employment. He asked Parliament' to ' grant him relief. MEMBERSMJJSTIONS . ' Mr. Hawken (Egniont) is asking the 1 Minister of Internal Affairs whether it ' is a fact that a considerable number of ' those who were interned on Somea Island ■ during the war aro now working on the ! wharves, and whether he think 3 it is in 1 the public-interest that these men should ' be allowed to work in such a position, ' where opportunities for fomenting dis- * content and also doing material damage ' can lie readily found? E Dr: A. K. Newman (Wellington East) c is asking the Prime Minister whether 1 he will "stato when the public will be i uijin to buy standard boots at low stan- ' dard rates? ' Mr. Howard (Ciristchurch South) b '■> tho Minist*' of Defence whether . he will state on what date will the mill- ' tnrv censorship of letters coming to Ibis l Dominion cease? The member states i that correspondence which camo from l America and which was delivered hero I on October 2, 1920, was opened' and passi ed by the Military Censor.