A SOLDIERS' ESTATE.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1920, Page 4

A SOLDIERS' ESTATE.

THE TIRAUMEA SETTLEMENT. « A REPLY TO CRITICISM. (By Wire.—Parliamentary Reporter ' Wellington, Last Night The Tiraumea estate, purchased by the Government for returned soldiers in 18) li, was the subject of a statement by the .Minister for Lands In the House of Representatives yesterday. Complaint had been made that the price pali for this estate was too high, and that the soldier settlers are not able to carry the 'burdens placed upon them. The estate is in the Wairarapa district. Mr. Guthrie said that the estate had been one of the first purchased ; by.the Government for returned soldierly T«» area was 10,209 acres and the price was ■CS per acre. The stock on the estate when the Land Purchase Board inspected it in 1910 was between 10,000 and 11,000 sheep and WW head Of. Battle. Land capable of carrying a sheep to the acre was worth about £7 10s per ..sire at that time, and the estate wsb Carrying the equivalent of about ttfo sheep to the acre. The condition of ..the stock in 10 Hi wa£ thoroughly satisfactory. Two valuations were made of ithe «*tale, one being £« an acre -.and., the other £lO 4s (Id. There was reason, to; believe that an adjacent landowner would have been willing' to pay *0 per sole. The Government valuation of the property in K>lo was: Unimproved value ,'.#18,796, - capital value £13,342. The Government valuation in 1010 was at the rate of £0 9s fid per acre capital value. The Minister added that the loading of the estate had not been excessive. The loading had included a percentage added to cover the rebate that was given to Crown tenants as an inducement for the prompt payment of rents. The Adding of this percentage had been the practice of the Lands Department for the ' last twenty-five years. The tenante had simply received a rebate of their own / money. and the present Government had abolished this arrangement. TJi# sum nf £4IOO added to the loading, of the Tiraumea estate for this purpose was in the hands of the Department, and it would be used for the improvement of the sections, but this added charge for rebate amounted to only <M per acre on the rental. The fact was that, w'ffsn this estate was settle* the Government had not been as particular as it became later about seeing that the men placed on the land were cap. able of making a success of their work. He did not wish to publish the reports that' he had received regarding the Tiraumea settlers, but the fact that six of the mon had been able to meet aH their obligations was proof that they ■ had stuck to their work and knew What they were doing. If six of the men could succeed, why could not the others succeed? He would be -glad to let any member of the House examine the re-' ports that had been received rejfardijig the settlement. Members who saw the documents would understand why some of the settlers had not succeeded, but he did not believe that more than one or two of them were gqing to be absolute failures. The department wis tak- i ins special «tcps to provide expert ad- ' vice and training for the ■ TiruMnoa settlers. The Minister added that softs of the sections admittedly were, rather small. He would be prepared to'let the lands committee of the Soldiers' Association see the official, dooui ments.