SOLDIERS AND THE LAND.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2017, 19 August 1919, Page 3

SOLDIERS AND THE LAND.

TOO MUCH PROFITEERING,

ADDRESS BY LIEUT.-COLONEL MITCHELL, D.S.O.

In an address at Wellington last night to members of the Returned Soldiers’ Association, LieutenantColonel Mitchell, D. 5.0., expressed the opinion that the comradeship in the .field was foreign to what they mef with in New Zealand. Here it appeared to be nothing else but land speculation and profiteering of all descriptions. This they must “hit up,” and hit up hard.

The land settlement policy was one to which they should give a great deal of attention. He maintained that not enough land was being purchased, and that some of the land that was purchased had been taken over at too high a price. That the demand for land was keen was proved by the fact that they had no fewer than 4,000 applications for land in the Dannevirke district.

Colonel Mitchell gave instances where returned soldiers had been treated with scant consideration. It had been admitted that the winning of the war had put 20 per cent, on the value of land in New Zealand. Who had made that value—the soldier or the man who stayed at home? The soldier, of course—therefore he should benefit to some extent in the increased value he himself had produced. (Hear, hear.) The price of land at present was -too high, and there was a danger of the soldiers being hard hit if a slump came in land values.

He instanced the greed of some men bv citing the case of a returned soldier who had disposed of some land for £23 per acre. When he returned, the owner was asking £4O per acre for the land, but he intimated that he would he pleased to sell it to the soldier at £37 per acre! All they asked for was justice, and this they were going to get.