LAND FOR RETURNED SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 August 1918, Page 5

LAND FOR RETURNED SOLDIERS .

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MINISTER FOE LiAKD KEpHTJGB* TO a)MPLAEfIB. "_■[

At Tuesday's meeting of the Egoum^' '( County Council, Hon. 'D. H. Guthrie;', \ Minister of Lands, acknowledged:' \ receipt of letter conveying the \ council's resolution in. regard to ihfc ,; alleged inferior quality of the land thai '; was (being purchased (by the Crown in J '-i the Tarana'ki province for settlement ibyf, .; discharged soldiers, and also with regard to the purchase Iby aliens of areas of '■ the beat, land in the province. T3ie. .j Minister stated that, with respect to the quality of the land purchased hy theCrown in Taranald lie would be gfed if" the council would furnish a list of She' particular sections to which ihd resolution was intended to refer. It was (both! . ; difficult and unsatisfactory to attempt '[ to deal with general statements where ' several different areas of land wer» con-', i cerned. If the council would famish.-a: ) list of the actual sections which TOrtfi -j alleged to be useless for settlement J poses on account of weeds, he -mcSA fir 4 '] glad to have the matter inlbeafSgatecif., ; With regard to the question of aßera lis". * had to state that it was not clear fromr » the letter if the council intended to ret. "1 fer to aliens in general or only to enemy ■ I aliens. He pointed out that no enemy' { aliens could legally acquire any freentoHl * interest in land or any leasehold interest 'a for a longer term than two years. The '-{ question of further limiting the rights of ■ j enemy aliens was one of Imperial poEcy '. i and he regretted being unable at present? i |to make any statement on the subject ■ ? The chairman stated he would forwards .'; the numbers of the sections that he haH . ! mentioned at Parihaka. It was covered! ' with blackberries. In fact a man had .' been employed for a day clearing black- ■ berries along the fence in order td re-- ?

pair it. ■ : Regarding aliens, Cr. O'Brien stated that the ehieif complaint was against the * Swiss. Switzerland had been ever eince \ the commencement of the war a neutral' ' nation, and therefore such strong restric-> tions could not be applied to them as • could be to, enemy aliens, as this wwild'. ; embarrass the Imperial. Government. ' I The chairman said that Switzerland ■ might he neutral hut many of the Swiss '« in Taranaki were aliens all the same. _'i All those from the German cantons were | Germans in thought, word and' deed, ri Cr O'Brien said that the Swiss Govern- • J ment had on one occasion, when Ger- { many threatened to cross their territory-*' ] mobilised against Germany. " Cr. Holder said that the point ho wish- • ed to emphasise was that aliens who ; were not liable for active service were ( taking up the land, while our voting men were away .fighting and when our sol-' dicrs returned fchev would not be aiblar ' to get on this good land. v