LAND FOR SOLDIERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 383, 18 June 1928, Page 8

LAND FOR SOLDIERS

SHORTAGE OF GOOD BLOCKS MINISTER MISUNDERSTOOD , Press Association. f MASTERTON, Sunday. The Minister of Lands, the Hon a D. McLeod, opened a new bridge at Kaituna, near Masterton, yesterday There was a representative gathering of settlers and the Minister was enthusiastically received. Mr. McLeod gave a spirited address in defence of the Government. He referred to some statements made within the last few days to which he took exception. He said no man resented less than himself fair criticism He was always prepared to hit back as good as he got. But he did no; twist figures round for the sake of scoring points. One point the Minister said he wished to clear up was in reference to a statement attributed to him which had a misleading effect. The statement in question was published in a Press report of proceedings at the annuai conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association at Wellington. Wellington. It was asserted that he had said there was a large number of unoccupied soldiers’ blocks available for settlement. That statement, he said, had brought him showers of applications for these sections. As a matter of fact there were not many attractive areas available. Most of the abandoned sections were in difficult localities, were largely unsuited for men with young families and it required considerable capital and experience to occupy them successfully. It was the policy of the Government to give preference to returned soldiers, when soldiers’ lands and houses became vacant.