LAND FOR EX-SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1920, Page 5

LAND FOR EX-SOLDIERS.

NEW AREAS AVAILABLE, A DETATLED RETURN. ty Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Minister of Lands (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie) has forwarded to the general secretary of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association a letter detailing particulars of the 700,000 acres which Mr Massey stated during the recent deputation were available for settlement. The Minister writes advising that the ■total area of land available for settlement by discharged soldiers, as at the 31st ultimo, was 691,141 acres, distributed throughout the Dominion as follows, {This area varies from day to day. For instance, since the 31st ultimo an area of 100,000 acres has been balloted for since this return was made up) : North Auckland, 61,325 acres; Auckland, 92,150; Hawke's Bay, 81,992; Taranaki, 39,834; Wellington, 5,695; Nelson, 77,440; Marlborough, 5,430; Westland, 3,830; Canterbury, 31,724; Qtago, 276,798; Southland, 14,913. . A considerable proportion of this area I is either advertised already, or will be I put on the market shortly. Land suitable for farm holdings and runs totals 673,758 acres, while an area of 17,385 acres is considered suitable for small farms, such as poultry, fruit-growing, bee-keeping, etc. "I trust," says the Minister, "that this information will be sufficient for your purposes. Owing to the very great amount of work thrown upon the officers of the department, I regret that it is not possible to supply the information asked for in more detail.'' • =