SOLDIER FARMERS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 21, 20 October 1942, Page 4

SOLDIER FARMERS

Government Plans For Settlement The Government’s plans for the rehabilitation of returned soldiers were discussed by Mr. Cullen (Government, Hawke's Bay), during the debate on the Finance Bill. He said that their re-establishment iu civil life should be the first essential of public expenditure. Tlie most spectacular aspect of rehabilitation was land settlement. After the last waf many men placed on the land failed to achieve success for a variety of reasons, the chief of which was that they lacked farming- experience. This time the Rehabilitation Council trad the administrative board were taking steps to ensure that all returned men desirous of taking- up farming itatl a fair chance of succeeding. It was the Government’s responsibility to acquire the most suitable land it was possible to obtain. It was no use placing men on properties acquired at a price so high as to preclude success. For instance, to ask a returned soldier to pay £135 an acre for a farm as a going concern was to court failure. Freehold Suggested. Mr. Sutherland (Opposition, Hauraki), said that much of the difficulty facing the Rehabilitation Board in respect of applicants lacking experience could be overcome if they were enabled to qualify as farmers by working on land development schemes. He emphasized that soldiers who had fought for the freedom of their country should be enabled to acquire the freehold of land which they took up. Mr. Richards (Government, Roskill) questioned the value of the freehold system. He said that after 16 years of farmers’ Governments a report tabled in tlie House had shown tliat 90 per cent, of the Dominion’s farmers were bankrupt. That was what freehold meant. The banks had got away witli the fruits of years of farmers’ toil.