Cutting The Losses

NZ Truth, Issue 1207, 17 January 1929, Page 4

Cutting The Losses

♦ '■ '* I TN entering on his new. sphere .of activities, .Minister of Lands, Forbes, already finds himself engrossed with the problem of Soldier Settlement, s Revaluation of .land, bought by the Government at prices 'm excess of its actual value, and which could not, even with careful management, show an equitable return on the money invested, is one of the obstacles he has to face squarely. The adjustment of these mortgages, while meaning a general loss, to the country, must inevitably be carried out. Had this matter been dealt with when it was seen that the position of a large , number of soldier settlers was untenable, there would not have been to-day such a large 'number of Untenanted farms. It would have been more profitable m the long run to cut the losses than to allow land which •had. .reached a -certain point of productivity- to lie idle and retrogress m value. 'What to do with this deteriorating jland constitutes a big problem. In attempting to place these farms on a producing basis,- the fact must not be lost sight of that while- allowing the tenant a generous period of time, free of interest, m which to establish himself, only men thoroughly capable of .' farming, the land should be selected. This applies more'especially to part hush and part cleared holdings. •The m judicious selection of applicants for soldier holdings m the past has been responsible for a -great, 'number of the failures to .establish' ex-soldiers on the' land. In. fulfilling its' promise to provide holdings to returned men, the Government or the local land boards failed to -look closely enough into the ; qualifications of some would-be farmers. .Periodical revaluations have relieved the strain to a certain extent, but net until land values are further reduced will it be found that any degree' of solution of the difficulty has been reached.