SETTLEMENT OF EXSOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 August 1919, Page 5

SETTLEMENT OF EXSOLDIERS.

MR. MASSEY DELIGHTED. By Telegraph.-—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The following summary, showing tho position of soldier settlement as to June 30 last, was given by Mr. Maasey to-day, and lie communicated it to the press. The total number of soldier settlors n«sist.cd.''financially to August 7 was "2SI; the number of soldiers settled under the Act, 1811; the totul area held, 73.9,532 acres; the area available for immediate selection for fqrm holdings tvnd runs, 100,02-2 acres; small farms for poultry raising, etc, 1193 acres. House*.—-The number of applications approved, 1105; number of applications under consideration, 6!W. Commenting on the figures, Mr. Massey said he was delighted that so much hnd been done In the settlement of returned soldiers on the land while hn had been away from Now Zealand. He made it his business to inquire what wns being done in other uarts of the Empire, TTc was satisfied that no other part of the Empire, with the exception of Canada, had done anything like so much irf the settlement of soldiers as had been dona in this country. Canada had been following closely in the footsteps of New Zealand, TTc bad a long talk on the subject with the Minister in charge of repatriation in Canada, who said lie hnd been obtaining copies of all New Zealand's proposals in connection with tin- settlement of soldiers, and had been following our footsteps. One advantage that Canada had over us was that it had land to give, and land that would grow wheat that made it-possible for a soldier to get a crop from his land tit the first ploughing, which was an advantage to a new settler,