DEBATE ON FINANCE

Southland Times, Issue 24879, 20 October 1942, Page 5

DEBATE ON FINANCE

Placing Returned Men On Farms (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 19. Urgency was taken for the passing of the Finance Bill in the House of Representatives today. Mr E. L. Cullen (Lab., Hawke’s Bay) dealt with the rehabilitation of returned men on the land. These men, he said, would have learned to like the outdoor life and should not be debarred from going on the land if they wished to do so, but the mistake of placing untrained men on the land would not be made again. It was necessary that men should be placed on land where they could get an immediate return. Those men given training would be paid and where blocks were developed returned soldiers could work on developnient and later take up land. Exorbitant prices would not be paid for land, he added. Arrangements had been made for a rebate of interest payments as announced by the Government until a soldier settler became established, but the vendor was not going to be allowed to take advantage of that to get a higher price for his land. Mr A. S. Sutherland (Nat., Hauraki) urged that returned men should be given the right to the freehold of land. He expressed the view that suitable selection committees should be able to eliminate all difficulties over land values. Mr A. S. Richards (Lab., Roskill) said that those who called for the freehold should remember that there were only very few who held a free title. The Bill was put through the remaining stages and passed.