NEW SETTLERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1920, Page 5

NEW SETTLERS.

SOLDIERS ON THE LAND. LOAN OF SIX MILLIONS. LAST COMPULSORY. PROVISIONS. By Telegraph.—Press Association, Wellington, Last Night, j In the Houfic of .Representatives this afternoon, Mr. Maasoy moved the second reading of the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Loan, Bill. He said the Bill could scarcely be called contentious, 'aa lie thought most members were agreed to the principle of helping soldiers. He wished to make it clear that the money would not bo used for any other purpose until soldiers were supplied with the land they required. The aniount of the loan Was £0,000,000, and he thought he saw a way of adding to that another million, The rate of interest would be !)'/, Jjer cent,, and though the term of the" loan had not yet been fixed, he thought' it would not be leas than ten years, hor more than fifteen. Two and a half millions of this loan "would be set apart for the payment of death duties, and judging by previous experience he thought this sum would be taken up for this purpose. There were compulsory clauses in the Bill, but these differed from the provisions of previous Bills, and would only amount to a sum equal to one year's land and income tax. This was the last compulsory loan,, because nothing but war justified compulsion, and as there was no further war in sight he thought they could afford not to insist on compulsion in future. THE COUNTRY SOLVENT. _ Clause seven instituted a new principle, enabling the Government to buy back its own debentures if they were being sold on " the market at below par. This has regularly been done in Britain, and was, he thought, good business, Mr. Massey then proceeded to read tabulated details of the Government's operations in connection with repatriation and the settlement of soldiers. Summing up these operations, he said they showed a great record. No country in the world had done so much for soldiers, and he was particularly pleased to say that the great majority of the poldicrs were doing well. There had been failures, but these had been few and far between. Tlie country was undoubtedly solvent, and lie did not think the threatened commercial depression would affect us, or at least not for long. The whole of our future rested in our own hands. \\liat we had to do was increase production. to bring now lands into productivity and make the cultivated lands produce more. Secondary industries should be encouraged, but "primary industries must come first. New Zealand could not be a manufacturing country for many years. and f the most we could hope for from secondary industries was that they would supply local requirements for the next quarter of a century, A GOOD INVESTMENT. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Leader of the Opposition) said no one could doubt the solvency of the country, because while we had increased our indebtedness to £201,000,000, our private wealth alone would balance that. No one would object to the assistance being given to soldiers, but the question was whether we were doing the best we could with the money we had. He did not think it would be necessary to put the compulsory clauses into effect, because he believed all the money required would be readily subscribed. So good was the interest, and so good was the investment, that there was even a possibility of the Government receiving more money than was required, and, if so, lie recommended the Government to adopt the suggestion made by Dr. Thacker that the "surplus should be handed over to local bodies, whose loan proposals might bo imperilled by more attractive Government proposals. The point he wished to make, however, was the failure of the Government, from want of sympathy, to take land compulsorily for soldiers. The Premier was fond of telling the House he had made 20,000 sub-divisions in recent years, but when be was asked how mail}'' now settlers had been placed on these sub-divisions he could not reply. Mr. Massey: It is quite impossible to sav. COMPULSORY ACQUISITION. Continuing, Mr. Wilford said the whole of the land purchased for soldiers had been acquired by private treaty, and he quoted figures supplied by the Commissioner of Crown Lauds'in Canterbury giving excessive prices being asked by owners of land offered to the Government. , Mr. Massey: These prices were not paid. Mr. Wilford declared that there were two properties in the Wairarapa which belonged to two men without chick or child, and which soldiers were glamoring to have acquired. These estates ought to be taken, and should be taken through the Public Works Act. The Premier had said that, land should be taken compulsorily, and lie also said ho would do so, but. he had not done it. No individual should ho permitted to hold land to block soldiers' settlement. It had been proclaimed as the policy of the Government to settle soldiers in the districts from which they came, but had this been done? It was* a crying shame, that land lit for soldiers' settlement was being held just because the owners did not offer it. It ought to be taken compulsorily. The Hon. I). IT. Outline said the Loader of the Opposition seemed to think the Government was sub-dividing land merely for sport. The fact was that they had found homes for 15,000 soldiers. One. of the Wairarapa properties referred to by Mr Wilford Imd been offered to the Govornmejit at a price at which it was a gift, but it hud to he turned down, because it coul.l not be profitably c;t up. MONEY COMTNG BACK. Continuing in the evening, Mr. Guthrie defended the Government, from the criticisms of the policy pursued in buying land for soldier settlements. When men first began to return from the war itwas felt they were no( in a condition to break in new land, and some small areas were bought to settle them on. That practice was now ending. He paid a tribute to the generous assistance given by the people in the Wairarapa in placing men on the land. Fifty thousand acres were Sought there, much at about half the market value, and on this 184 men were settled. Other parts of the Wellington province had also done well, and the province had settled more sol-

fliers on the land than any other province. The Minister also detailed the good work done by the repatriation and the after-care brandies of the department in looking after returned men. Applications for financial assistance lately had decreased. Up to September 20, 4375 loans for acquiring or establishing businesses were approved, involving an expenditure of £992,446. A further 924S men were granted loans far the purchase of furniture, tools, etc., and 3735 received assistance in other ways the payments made under all headings on behalf of the men totalling £1,472,512. ' Failures of men to repay their obligations to the department were veryfew—only about live per cent of the total assisted. Mr. 0. Mitchell (Wellington South) congratulated the Government and the country on what had been done for soldiers, but he urged that every effort was needed to get men Settled in the country. The balance of population had drifted to the cities and the towns too quickly. INFLATED LAND PRICES. Mr. L. M. Isitt (Christchurch) complained that under the present soldier settlement policy there was a tendency for prices of land to be unduly inflated by Government expenditure in purchasing estates. Erperienced farmers were afraid that the effect must eventually be bad, and that many soldiers would lind it impossible to make a success of land bought at such high prices. It would have been better to havo acquired portions of large estates coinpulsorily at fair pfices. Why should young men have to go to the North Island backh'.ocks and carve out a home under great difficulties, while there were large estates in Canterbury that could be cut up and become immediately capable of supporting a large number of small settlers? A policy of intensive farming was necessary for the welfare of this country. THE BILL PASSED At 12.20 a.m., Mr. Massey rose to reply. He deprecated the policy of taking land by compulsion for settlej luent purposes, because of the cost and the delays caused by Court proceedings. Personally, he did not know where the big estates were which some members talked of so glibly. The second reading was agreed to on the voices, and the House went into committee on the Bill, which was put through in five minutes, without amendment. It was then read a third time and passed. The House rose at 12,54 a.m