THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. "We nothing extenuate, not set down aught in malice." TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 1916. LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 182, 13 June 1916, Page 2

THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. "We nothing extenuate, not set down aught in malice." TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 1916. LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

The Official Organ of . The Franklin County Council. The Tukekohe Borough Council. The Tuakau Town Board. The Karaka Road Board. The Pokeno Road Board. The Wairoa Road Board. The Papakura Town Board. The Waikato River Board. The Mercer Town Board. The Manurewa Town Board

The ambitious scheme of Laplain Colb"ck, vice-president of the Farmers Union, for settling our returned soldiers upon the land involves so enormous an expenditure ot public money that we feel it would not be right to pass it over without comment. As he outlined it to a "Herald'' repre scntativc the other day niß proposal is to put each man upon 50 acres of improved land worth £,'lo per acre, with a small house, and to provide him with cows to the value of £2OO. An interest charge of five P'-r cent upon £I7OO would amount

to £SS yearly, and be estimates the oc:upicr s income would be £2OO annually leaving a balance in hi 3 favour of £lls. The expected cost to the country would be £10,200,000. He also proposes that the men Bhould be established in groups or colonies, bo that a practical, man could be appointed to give tli2tn advice and help, lie has omitted to say what this man's salary would be. Captain Colbeck's scheme is to be laid before the Government, and i:e says that he is sanguine that it will be adopted. There is apparently no inherent defect in tbc proposal to make it impossible that it siiould succeed

if it were conlined to men with some experience of farming. "But we ate now dealing with [men who have never been on a farm," said Captain Colbeck, "and even experienced men find it diflicult to make both ends meet with no capital behind them." Just so. And when inexperienced men try their hand at farming with capital, what becomes of the capital'.' We wonder how many of these colonies would Eurvive the lirst three years, and what the value of their £oo an acre improved land and their £2OO herd of cows would be at the end • if lli.it. iicrinil'.' Captain Cnllieek lias ♦ ;i 11 c ii inlo the mistake ao conmifiily tield in the towns that

anyone is competent to rua a farm without either training or experience. It is thought apparently ttat a man is capable of performing t.y

instinct the innumerable operations incident to what is really one ct the most complicated occupations there i?, and one in which the most

extensive book-krowkage ;s really only a drawback unless accompanied by practice I cxpencr.ee. The untrained aian who plunges into farming gains his experience no doubt if he is moderately intelligent, but he gams it at the expense of his time and capital. Under Captain Colbeck's scheme the returned soldier would gain nm at the expense of his cwn time and the taxpayers' capital. Why nnt save both by training him first? Captain Colbeck characterises his project as "A philanthropic scheme on business lines." The first half of the description may tit it, but we demur to the rest.