SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

Southland Times, Issue 18842, 7 June 1920, Page 5

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

AN EXPIRED LEASE. PROTEST AT ' TUATAPERE. At Tuatapere on Friday evening a hastilysummoned meeting was attended by between 20 and 30 returned soldiers, Mr W. Cunningham presiding. It was explained that the object of the meeting was to take some steps in connection with the Land Board’s action in not putting up for auction a pastoral run adjoining Mr Cuthbert’s “Sunnyside” property. A statement was made at the meeting that the lease of the run, which Mr Cuthbert held, expired in February and that returned soldiers in the district expected to see the run advertised for disposal by auction in the usual way. They had been surprise 1 *' to learn, however, that a commission from the Land Board had visited the run and reported on it as being unsuitable for subdivision. In consequence of this report the run had again been leased to Mr Cuthbert, of “Sunnyside,” and returned soldiers had no opportunity of settling upon it. Speakers at the meeting maintained that the run was admirably suited for subdivision into three sections for settlement by soldiers and in the opinion of the speakers soldier settlers would have a much better chance of doing well on such a property than on some of the rough bush country which the Land Board had placed at their disposal. The carrying capacity of the run was said to be some 3500 sheep, and as the Land Board had put soldiers on sections which carried from 300 to 500 sheep, the returned men thought that this pastoral run might very well have been divided into three sections and thrown open to competition so that returned men might have a chance of acquiring it. One returned man, who owns a property near the run in question, declared that the run was extremely well suited for sub-division and settlement by soldiers. The following motion, moved by Mr M. K. McDonald and seconded by Mr A. Findlay, was carried unanimously: — “That immediate steps be taken in re Sunnyside run not being advertised last February, that the Land Board be approached for necessary particulars and that action be at once taken to make the matter as public as possible.”