SOLDIERS ON THE LAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 October 1919, Page 5

SOLDIERS ON THE LAND.

GREATER DEVELOPMENT BUG- •■ GESTED. * By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A. discussion on- the land question took place at the conference of the Returned Soldiers' Association. In moving the adoption of Part 1 of the Land and Committee's report Mr G. Mitchell (Balclutha) said the committee proposed the Government should open up all undeveloped lands in the Dominion so they might be occupied at once, and all big estates should be valued and tabulated with a view to giving owners fair notice of resumption by the Government. Inflated values were at the bottom of the whole trouble regarding land. The Government should step in and stop land gambling. The committee recommended that land aggregated during the war should be ac« quired by the Government at a fair value to the aggregators. Land speculation was an evil that should be stopped, It was wrong to demand that soldiers taking part in ballots should have a certain amount of capital by them. Provided men had the amount of half a year's rent they should be allowed to go to the ballot. He had found, contrary to many reports, that soldier settlers were in the main gettins on very well. Mr Potter (Auckland), in seconding the motion, said it was undeveloped lands that should be brought into ft state of production. After a long discussion Mr Mitchell replied and pointed that the committee felt that land belonging to absentee owners should be taken first. The committee considered the land aggregator, the land speculator, and the I.W.W. agitator were the worst enemies in the country to-day Part 1 of the report was adopted.