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Levin Daily Chronicle, 26 March 1918, Page 1

A returned soldier says that in the transport he returned by there were a number of men. *who were on their way back after a three weeks' stay in England. One or two of these men retained their sergeant's stripes and enjoyed deck extras while some Teal fighters with legs off were down in the hold, wouldn't have had a Buckley's,'' he said.

There is a very large demand for farming land in the Bltham district, the difficulty being not to find purchasers, but to discover sellers. It is high-pric-ed, good quality land that is being sought for, and buyers are willing to pay good prices if • the quality of thq, land is first class (says the "Argus.") A good many transactions have been effected of late, the Hastings Road between Mangatoki and Kntapu, 140 acres changed hands at £65 per acre. On the Finnerty Road, near Lowgarth, 98 acres were disposed or at £55 per acre. Three miles from Midhurst a small farm of 94 acres found a purchaser at £42 per acre. On the Mountain Road, about a mile from Eltham, 60 acres found a purchaser at£ss per acre. Three hundred acres of grazing country in the Pukengahu district, no buildings, sold at £24? 10s per acre. Mr L. C. Hitchcock's farm of 90 acres on the Mountain Road, about a mile from Eltham, was sold to Mr George Turner at £62 per acre. A feature of this transaction is that the sale was for cash. Mr T. W. Owen purchased from Mr Alex Mackay 119 acres at the corner of Rotokare and Mountain Roads for £50 per acre. No buildings on the land. On the Stuart Road within the past three weeks 160 acres found a purchaser at £56 per acre. At Mangatoki a neat 100 acres brought £61 per acre. Along the Eltham Road, not far from the toll gate, a 120-acre farm changed hands at £57 pfir acre. Writing; to the "Auckland Star" a returned soldier says: —I notice a paragraph concerning a statement reported to have been made by Dr. Thacker to •the effect that Lieut. Grierson was a deserter. Sir James Allan rightly denied this. The officer in question came before the public some time ago, and cleared himself of all charges made against him; but even now some of our narrow-minded citizens seem to have him set. I have personally served under Lieut. Grierson, and found him a fine extmple of a New Zealand soldier and officer. I for one can safely say that Lieut. Grierson, is not and never was a deserter. He is, as stated, in the Discharge Depot at Torquay, and was in a very bad state of health when I bid him farewell there last November. It would pay? some people better if they looked into cases that really need attention, instead of attacking a man who has done great service for the British Empire. It is not British to stab in the back.