WAR LAND VALUES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3523, 9 July 1920, Page 5

WAR LAND VALUES.

‘TAKE THEM FOR SOLDIERS.”

‘J‘s'.ELLING'I‘ON, July 8.

‘ A strong‘ condemnation of the Gov-ernment-‘s land _rnlrellzisse methods for soldiers’ settlement was a”featul-e of Colonel Mitc‘nell’s Add‘ress—in-Reply speecli.“ The member for Wellington South asked if it were reasonable that the owner of land who comfortably sat down at home while soldiers went away should expect soldiers to pay him a war bonus for the land which they had fought to ‘p’:-’otect. He quoted examples of how this war land bonus was paid. There was’ a Southernestate, the owner of which‘ fought to keep his son away from the war, yet the Government gave him" war-inflated value by purchasing his land at £lO an acre and settling soldiers at £ll, though the land was so poor they were not afile to make it pay. Was it. fair that such land should get this War value, and that the burden be passed on to the soldier? There was an estate near _l«2ketahuna of 10,138 acres which the Govel"nment bought _for £BI,OOO. Its mtable ivalue was £19,050, and capital value £44,000, so the Government paid £37,000, more than the value of the land. When the soldiers settled there the valuation was raised 38 per cent_ The former owner used toipay £l5B in ‘rates, but thesoldiers had to pay ,£6OO. “I would rather have :1 man who openly declares his disloyalty from a soap box,” said Colonel Mitchell, “than a man who takes ad-~ vantage of his counti-y’s necessities”;

The speaker 5157)’ mentioned a. Taranaki case wAhere‘7aT speculator bought a, farm at £3O per acre and resold to soldiers at £4s‘ an acre. The original owner declared that he made more in interest than he could make out of the farm. If meatwag sold in a free market. tn—day what would it fetch? - Members: Fourpence halfpenny a "pound. '

f Mr Mitchell: It does not represent your gratitude to the soldier; the policy is wro'n“g. find it will end in the soldiers, when prices fall. coming back to the GO\'el'nment asking for a reduction of rent. The Go-verninent will have to face it. and dare not put them off. The most damning i_ndicl.ment of the Governmenrfs soldier land settlement policy came, be continued, from the Minister of Laur.l.< himself, who admitfed that 4405 soldiers had found sections for thelnselves. They replaced farmers, but if the large estates had been broken up this would have been avoided, and more would have been no such _‘,2,"clllll‘»ling spirit created. The large estates should.have been. tabulated in 1916. and acquired at Dre-W3l‘ Willie fo!‘ SOl- - setizlernent when the men rel urned, instead of asking them to pay war crea.l:ed value now. He would admit it was wrong to take land if they left the big city inercauiile firms alone, but war was not jtlst lo indivilduals. 11.’ the c"o'untry tool: tlreselarge estates at the 1914 valuation. there would be n'o real hardship to their owners who had enjoyed war values for their produce. They would simply have a few less racehorses, motor‘ cars, and other luxuries. because they were all men with ample capital. ’