REPATRIATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 May 1920, Page 2

REPATRIATION.

I/AND SETTLEMENT WORK. CJOST AND HOW INCURRED. The Minister of Lands lias made available some particulars as to where all the nineteen millions expended by the Government on the repatriation, of soldiers lias gone. A littlo more than eighteen millions has" been spent on the settlement of soldiers on land, although some of this expenditure, upwards of a million and a half, is not effective yet, as the land purchased has not been offered, for selection. A little more than a million has been expended on other branches of repatriation activity. The gross total is £19,065,891. Following are details as supplied by the Minister:— Settled on Settlement Land.—(a) On subdivided purchased estates, 1014 men on 280,570 acres; (b) on estates purchased by the Crown on behalf of soldiers or groups of soldiers under section 3 of the Act, 195 on 30,085 acres. Settled on GYown Land and National ■Endowment Land.—B99 on 897,000 acres Assisted to Purchase Private Land under section 2 of the Act.—47so on 911,524 acres. Total on Rural Land.—Gßsß on 2,120,103 acres. Assisted to Purchase Town Dwellings. -GB2G. Total number assisted, 13,084 PURCHASE OF LAND. The cost was analysed by the Minister as follows: Under Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act: : (a) Advanced for stock and improvements, £1,854,634. (b) For purchase of private land, £7,181,004. (c) IV,■ purchase of town dwellings, £4,454,708. Total, £13,400,436. Under Lands for Settlement Act.—Capital value of 203 estates purchased, comprising 210,991 acres, and offered to soldiers, £2,834,198. Total expenditure in providing 13,634 men with homes or farms, £16,324,634. In addition the Government has purchased under the Lands for Settlement Act 61 estates comprising 200,688 acres, which are now being subdivided and prepared for settlemeut—at a cost of £1,680,571. The total outlay by the Land and Land Purchase Departments .is thus £18,005,195. AVERAGES PER MAN. The Minister made an interesting statement of tho average expenditure under the various headings as follows: £ Advance for stock and implements 481 Advance for purchase of private

land ... . 1511 Advance lor purchase dwellings .. 652 Capital value settlement sections.. 2271

OTHER EXPATRIATION WORK. Mr. Guthrie, as a member of the Repatriation Board, was able to show what had been done in reparative work apaVfc from that which is most concerned with land and homes. At April 30 ho said there were 77,499 men on the Repatriation Department's register. The majority of 'these required no assistance; but assistance had been given to 35,275 under the following headings:— Placed in employment, 16,681. Training: arranged for, 5319. Financially assisted to re-establish themselves, 12,345. Sustenance grant made to 930. The total amount- granted by the Repatriation Department by way of financial assistance was £1,060,320. It would thus be seen that the two Departments had repatriated 48,959 men at an outlay of £17,384,954. These figures, of course, did not include the estates of soldiersettlers to be dealt with, as outlined, in the next few months.