NEW MARRIED ELIGIBLES.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 April 1916, Page 6

NEW MARRIED ELIGIBLES.

HOW THE STATE VIEWS TIIISM, A LAND BALLOT yUEsTlnjy, One of the lucky applicants for a section in the Benmore Estate ballot at Oamaru wa6 a man said to have been married only a week before the ballot. He was apparently fit for military service, and there was a good deal of indignation locally over the failure of the Land Board to sift out such a competitor against a number of more deserving settlers. This incident was of value in calling attention to the need for special care in connection with, the Crown land settlement policy, and it is satisfactory to know, on the authority of the Prime Minister, that there will be no more possibilities of the kind.

"And I have not done with the Benmore case yet," remarked Mr. Massey. "I am not satisfied with what has taken place." As for the future ballots, the Prime Minister s tated that Land Boards, which go carefully through the list of applicants before the ballot, and examine them as to their qualifications, will class as single any man" who has been married six months prior to the date of the ballot.

This decision is in accordance with the classification of the newly-married adopted by the National Recruiting Board in its Category B class of recruits. This category contains men who are called up by ballot, in a specified order, the first to be subjected to the ballot being single men without dependents. Into this class go the registered recruits who have been married not longer than six months. SOLDIERS ON THE LAND. Discussion of this question naturally led into that of the settlement of returned soldiers on the land. "The position is much better than it was a few months ago," said the Prime Minister. "We are getting a large number of applications for land. In Auckland there are 43 applications from returned soldiers, and there are a number in Hawke : s Bay and Wellington land districts. The demand is mostly for dairy farms of 100 to 150 acres. We have about a hundred sections available for the men, and others are being got ready. Extensive purchases of native land are being made to cope with the demand which will come from our fightiog men to settle on the land for which they have gallantly fought." "Yes, it will be a big financial question when the main body of the force comes back/' continued the Prime Minister, -but it will be cheerfully faced by the people of New Zealand, and the expenditure on land for this class of settlement will, with due care, be one of the best forms of reproductive outlay." CHANGES IN THE LAW. Several points in connection with the settlement of returned soldiers have come up for legislative attention ae &oon as Parliament meets. Some applications have been made on behalf of soldiers who have sections in view which they prefer to the ordinary Crown lands. "I am thinking about asking Parliament," said Mr. Massey, "to give authority to finance soldiers on other than Crown lands, so long as the sections are 3 uital)le, not overloaded with capital cost, and the Lands Boards are satisfied that the men are capable. Several New Zealanders, who went over to Australia to enlist, want an opportunity of taking up land in their own country, and quite natura'iiy so. I am going to make provision for thorn. lam personally very anxious to meet the requirements of our men who wish to get on the land, and I am bound to say that the Commissioners of Crown Lands in the various districts have shown equal anxiety to meet I the position."