LAND FOR SOLDIERS

Southland Times, Issue 18859, 26 June 1920, Page 6

LAND FOR SOLDIERS

THE AREA AVAILABLE. NEARLY 700,000 ACRES. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 25. The Minister of Lands has forwarded to the General Secretary of the Returned Soldiers’ Association a letter detailing particulars of 700,000 acres which Mr Massey stated during the recent deputation were available for settlement. The Minister writes advising that the total area of land available for settlement by discharged soldiers as at May 31 was 691,141 acres, distributed throughout the Dominion as follows: (This area varies from’day to day; for instance since May 31 an area of 100,000 acres has been balloted for since this return was made up) : North Auckland, 01,325 acres; Auckland, 92,150; Hawke’s Bay, 81992; Taranaki, 39,834; Wellington, 5,695; Nelson, 77,440; Marlborough, 5,430; Westland, 3,830; Canterbury 31,724; Otago, 276,798; Southland, 14,913. A considerable proportion of this area is either advertised already or will be put on the market shortly. Land suitable for farm holdings and runs totals 073,750 acres, while an area of 17,385 acres is considered suitable for small farms, such as poultry, fruit-growing, bee-keeping, etc. “I trust,'’ says (he Minister, "that information will be sufficient for your purposes. Owing to the very great amount of work thrown upon the olficers of the Department, 1 regret that it is not possible to supply the information asked for in more detail.”