SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 October 1940, Page 9

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

OPERATIONS AFTER LAST WAR MINISTER GIVES FIGURES. , PLANNING AND BALANCE NEEDED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Figures were given by the Minister of Lands (Mr Langstone) in the House of Representatives yesterday showing the results of land settlement operations after the last war. He said that 9665 discharged soldiers were settled on the land, and of this number 2140 were settled on estates acquired by the Government. There were 305 estates, representing an area of 473,000 acres, purchased at a cost of £5,950,000. A total of 1968 soldiers were placed oh ordinary Crown land, some of which should never have been settled at all. Men were today still struggling in the extreme of adversity through no fault of their own. 4 There were 5557 soldier settlers who had been permitted to select their own areas, and the money advanced for that purpose was £9,050,000. Advances on current account were made to 5131 soldiers, the amount being £5,654,000. He had quoted those figures as evidence of what had happened after the last war. and the Government would see to it that the same difficulties did not arise this time. . Soldier settlement after the last war cost in round figures £20,654,000, the Minister continued. Losses amounts written off, remissions and other concessions totalled £12,567,704. That had been an irretrievable loss, but that was carried on the broad shoulders of the nation. In addition there were losses of money borrowed privately and mortgages written off. The opinion that under present conditions there was not unlimited scope for farm settlement was expressed by Mr Langstone, who said that butter was faced with the competition of margarine and wool with that of synthetic fibres. In those circumstances it was essential to develop a planned and balanced economy.