HESITATION AND DELAY.

Taihape Daily Times, 23 September 1919, Page 6

HESITATION AND DELAY.

I IN SETTLING SOLDIERS. I A SEASON MISSED. I MEANS A YEAR LOST. I There is still some uncertainty I'o- - the ultimate ‘disposal of the ITakahue-Vvhanglapae and Pareokawri 81-oeks, held by th_e Government for soldier settlement. The intention originally was to hold these blocks till all the men at the front had returned to New Zealand in order tll~.a.t ‘they lmight have an equal chance with I those who returned earlier getting some suitables land. It was further I proposed that these men who returned ‘first should be given employment in I.opelling up =this land and developing it for !those Who would return later. The Coniniissioner (Mr R-. P. Greville) states, however, that when the applicationg were made at the Soldiers’ Club Ifor men to undertake this Work, only‘ ‘two came forward, and one of these‘ I could hardly be called an applicant for Work, as lle merely inquired as to the‘ nature‘ and locality of the work, and) nothing further was heard from him. I Apparently the response was so dis-I c‘ourag}ing ‘that Snothing further _ll(as‘l been done in the matter, so far as felling t-he bush is concerned. Roadingl work has, however, been pushed on,‘ and according 'to statements made at the meeting of the North Aucklacndl _Land Board recently the reading of the Pareokawa Block of 2000 acres, containing‘ fourteen sections, is already completed, while ‘it is anticipated that the reading of the Takahuner-Whangzv pae Block of 4000 acres, containing 27 sections‘, will be finished during the‘! coming summer. , I

A recommendation was made by the Board some time'ago that the land be thrown open for selection, but to this no reply has been received to date. Mr J. E, Wells, one of ‘the members of the Board, menitioned the matter "again. ‘He had had a great many inquiries, he said, in regard to the two blocks. Time was passing, and if they were- not soon thrown open the season for bush felling would be over, and another year would be lost_ The Commissioner expressed the opinion ‘that in view of the great demand ;t‘.o.r land. that existed something would have :to be done in the matter_ He could not" see any use in holding up these blocks. It was simply keeping the country back. It was decided to make a further recommendation to the Minister that these two blocks be thrown open for settlement immed'iatcly.

There is an impressioiz that ‘the Min-. ister is hesitating as to whether he should throw these blocks upen for setirloment by soldiers in the ordinary way, or whether it should be thrown open under ttlre ccfloperatiire se-’ctll'e‘-ment scheme recently put. forward by the Retiifnecl Soldiers’ Association. Meanwhile there ‘is a long list of applicants anxioiisly waiting some ‘decision in the matter, and, as he stated, if soniotliin-g is no‘? done-soon, the season will lmve passed, and another year will be lost.