LANDLESS SALDIERS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3484, 12 May 1920, Page 6

LANDLESS SALDIERS.

FIVE ’l‘HOl'.r'SA;\“D WAITING.

ASSOCIATION ’S PROPOSALS.

COMPULSORY ACQUISITION.

‘Proposals to facilitate the settlement of discharged. soldiers on the land were adopted. by the executive of the New Zealaud Returned Soldiers’ Association at a'lneet.ing in Wellington on Friclay. A report on the subject was presented by the’ Lands Committee of the Association, and after its adoption the chairman of the Committee, Mr’ G. Mitt-l:ell_.".'\‘l'.P., was anthor- ‘ ised to move a. motion in the House of Bepl'eseuTatives asking t.he Government. to acquire at once all large estates for soldier settlement under -the 1908 Act. A sub-conlmittee was also npgninted to arrange a deputation to the Government to urge that the 21908 Act should be put. into force. The emnmitteeis report stated: “All points are subservient to the one big issue, that of getting ‘soldiers settled on 7 the large estates, in a reasonable tirne, and at a price whieli will assure them a eomt‘ortabTZ‘" living and protect the country fl'om'fllC danger‘ of settlers becoming :1 financial burden when the prices of produce are more stabilised. In spite of all the efl’ol'ts of the Minister, and the expenditure of very large sums of 11101165’, The cominittee is far frmu satisfied at the number of soldiers settled and the general progress made. I

Vp to the present $01119.» 6000 men have been settled. We estimate that at 'least one-fifth of The number have bought out single farms, and so provided 1000 small farmers with the means and opportunity of joining the land. gamble. The fifiorniafion re-

ccivcd from all our centres confirms our estimate ‘chart at least 5000 soldier land-seekers are yet unsatisfied, and are likely to remain so for a long time, unless there is a. drastic change in the method of acquiring large estates.

EFFECT OF INFLATED PRICES. “The committee is gravely concerned at the ivar inflated prices asked for, their land by some of the large landowners, for the purpose of soldier settlement; they are loading the State and the soldier witli debt, that they 'may have_tlle inflated value which the State and the soldier created. The present demand for private farms by, soldiers is due, we believe, to the fact that not suflicient large estates are thrown open. We deprecate the sold ier replacing the small farmer. It aggravates the shortage, and encourages speciilalion and inflation in value of small farms without. iii any way increasing land settlement or production. The committee is convinced that .ilnn’lcdiate r-(nn}'mlsol'§' acquisition and So’ttlCm(3lll of the large estates under‘ the 1908 Act is an urgent iiecessityq if we are to succ-cs.=full.yAsettle our soldiers on the land under conditions which will assure them success and free the State of gra'i-'e financial loss should the price of produce fall.”

DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS The following proposals were made by ‘the committee:—- ‘

That all large estates in the Deminion be tabulated. according to‘ their size and suitability fpr settlement'a.nd that such estates as are necessary for the settlement of soldiers be compulsorily acquired under the-‘ previsions of the Act of 1908.

That the estates of £IOO,OOO and overtin value be reduced to £75,000; after those iirthis category are exhausted, those of. £75,000 to be»--re-duced to £50,000, and, if required, those from £50,000 to £35,000; such a system to ‘be continued until , all soldiers are settled. . . The committee explains that this is Mr A. P. Wllatman’s scheme, and was adopted at the Vvellington Farniers’ Provincial Conference, and later unanimously by the Doniinion Fa-miers’ Conference, held on July 24-29, 1917, fort)’ delegates being present, farm_ers_themselves, and representatives of the farmers community cf the whole of‘.New Zealand. It will minimise Competition in the purchase of land, stimulate (instead of reducing) pl-0-duction, and will provide Sufficient lam} fol‘ the S..€.’Ulemelit of all soldiers. The committee ‘recommends further that:‘— .

The principle of communal settlements (fruit fa;-Ins and similar branches of activity) ‘for tubercular and permanently’ disilble‘d soldiers He 31). prayed, and the Government be urged towsxtend the system at once.

That Colonel Mitchell ’s- scheme for the’ s'ettlelilent by fit men of bush and Native lands the approved, and the Government be urged to put it into. 0-Deratioz; at mice on the Urewera lands or other suitable country.

HIGHER ADVANCES WANTED_ It is pfopbsed that the amount of advances £6l-.the pmychase of stock ant} ifi3l>l§'i;ients "“be incfeased to. £1250, and that. the loan to settlers

for building a home (now £250) be increased as under:———Singl_e man £250, man and wife £SOO, for each child £SO extra.

The report recommends transferring the administration of advances to returned soldiers for Purchasing and building houses from the land boards to the repatrizltion boards; that in all cases where a soldier is placed on land after its production period of the year, the half yeai-’s rent be remitted; that the Government be urged to make provision fora representative nominated by the executive of the: N.Z.R.S.'A. to sit upon the land boards‘ throughout the Dominion. '

I When Betty Brown‘ first came to town [She had but zone plain ginghiim gOWII, But now she ’s draped in Cl'eD€ (19 ‘chine And lolls back in her limousine. She’s married to 9. millionaire, And c‘;l'el-ished with the greatest care, In winter months, of course tshe’s sure A 'l‘o have her Woods? Great Peppermint ‘ Cure. 1