SOLDIERS' SETTLEMENTS.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 19 March 1918, Page 2

SOLDIERS' SETTLEMENTS.

THE MINISTERIAL VISIT; On Saturday "the Ministerial , party consisting of the Prime Minister, Mr Massey, the Minister of Lands, Mr D. H. Guthrie, Mr W. H. Field, M.P., Mr J. D. Ritchie, chairman of the Land Purchase Board, and Mr G. H. M'Clure, Commissioner of Crown Lands, paid a visit to this district. On arrival in Levin, they were met by the Mayor, Mr C. [ Blenkhorn, and motored to ins- !' pect the lands in the estate of the late Mr J. It. McDonald, and also those in the estate of the late Mr j M. H. E. Gorringe. In regard ! to the McDonald estate the vis-* . itors recognised that the district was under a great -disadvantage ! in having such a large area of first-class land practically unde- . veloped, but put "forward the fact that a considerable, proportion of it was native land and therefore difficult to lacquire, < whilst that portion on the Koputaroa road was difficult to suitably, subdivide owing to its broken character 1 ; * Every effort was made by. the ' Mayor- to impress on the visitors that if the will to acquire the land was there most of the difficulties and disadvantages put forward would be overcome.

With regard .to the estate of the late Mr Gorringe, the Mayor 1 was informed that if the estate was offered to the Government, at a suitable price such offer ,would receive careful consideration. , From Levin, the party went to Foxton, where the Mayor and Borough Council entertained the, • visitors at lunch, and Mr Massey made a speech dealing with the war and the settlement of soldiers. The wharves and Round Bush which it is sought to preserve were inspected, and the party journeyed through the Mo~ utoa estate to Shannon where the, Mayor and a large gathering of residents welcomed the Ministers. Later in the afternoon- Otaki wa«: 'reached and' the Maori ChUrsanatorium and the hospital. Speaking generally the Mayor informs us that he gathered the impresion that- the Government was honestly desirous of acquiring suitable lands for subdivision but that the officers on whom it relied were not sufficiently aware of local conditions, nor sufficiently interested in finding a solution of the difficulties they themselves put forward. As he put it, regarded as a trip into the country in good company the outing a pleasant one;, as a business tour it was disappointing. * Mr Field is still hopeful that . the powers that bcwill wake up to the fact "that it is of national imporance that first-class dairy lands at the.babkdoor of Wellington should be used to their ful-' lest advantage. .... , The Hon. Mr Guthrie a reporter that the visitors had seen a lot of land very suitable for settling returned soldiers/if the price was reasonable. _ The Heatherlea estate at Levin had impressed him ; very favourably. A decision would be come to when the inspection of the land offered was complete.