SMALL HOLDINGS.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1919, Page 5

SMALL HOLDINGS.

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT. WHAT NEW ZEALAND IS DOING. Tiie Minister in charge of Discharged Soldiers' Settlement (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie) combated, in an interview the recent statement, based on Melbourne figures, that Victoria is doing more for returned soldiers than New Zealand in regard to providing small holdings for mixed farming, poultry-faming, fruitfarminif. market-gardening, and suchlike. All the runs falling in were, being held, stated the Minister, for subdivision among soldiers, but the Government wan also supplying land suitable for fattening sheep, and for mixed fanning (agriculture and pasture) and for dairying "The limit of advances in Victoria for this purpose," he said, "is £2OOO. We are advancing liberally up to £2500, but we do not stop at this figure if the security is regarded as good enough to justify an increase. The New Zealand Government does not wish to institute comparisons with any other Government in the British Dominions in regard to provision made for returned soldiers, but it is only fair to New Zealand to mention that the Government here is ahead of other Governments, whether Australian or Ganadian. in providing for soldiers who have fought and Med for their country It is claimed that Victoria in the aggregate has spent more than £0.000,000 in providing farms, at a limit below New Zealand's, for returned soldiers, but we have no detailed evidence of what has been done in Victoria. In New Zealand the provision for" soldiers includes the purchase of native lands, and the Government is giving absolute preference to returned soldiers i in th& settlement of all Crown lands. :A Wge area of this kind of land will be available eventually for returned men capab'.e of undertaking the strenuous work "1 breaking in country. The prospects for miod settlers will certainly prove to be. profitable.'' "With regard to proposals for orchards," added the Minister, "we have to he very careful We cannot be too venturesome just now, but we are prepared to work on safe linos The reason for being cautious is that the market on which New Zealand was mainly dependent in South America has been missed through the diversion of steamers through the- Panama Canal. Consequently the former service tc ports on the easrt side of South Amfefiea lias been dislocated, and it is not known when it will bo re-established- We have to look for other markets on the west coast of America rather than the east." The Government, }ie claimed, was encouraging men who had a bent for maf-ket-gardejiing to take up small areas near the* centres of population where they had the best prospect of success. The' limit of help in this kind of homemaking was £IOOO in New Zealand, compared with £9OO in Victoria. The same remark applied to poultry. In this line the limit in Victoria was £6OO, but the New Zealand Government would advance up to £IOOO, and would go even to ;' £'7500 to help a man in establishing himself in a larger way as a poultry farmer. Up to the present, however, there had not been a very great demand for farming of this kind'(poultry, orchards, and fruit), which required special knowledge The means of education had been provided, but the returned men had not a very groat desire to go in for a period of trainin". He hoped that, as the schemes of settlement came to bo better known, the soldier* might take a larger interest in this kind of opportunity to secure a comfortable living.