Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1940. SETTLEMENT FOR SOLDIERS.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 November 1940, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1940. SETTLEMENT FOR SOLDIERS.

♦ TN the House of Representatives a few days ago, the Prime ' Minister (Mr Fraser) contrasted what he called the wild and whirling tempest of criticism” of the Small Farms Amendment Bill in the country with the very calm atmosphere, in which that measure had been discussed m the House, lie said also that the campaign against the. Bill was spurious. 1 his is the customary language of political controversy and the rime Minister perhaps is not to be blamed more than another tor using it. Jn fact, however, the Bill has been opposed stout y m the House of Representatives on the same grounds as ha\e been relied upon at many meetings of farmers throughout the country. One of these grounds is that people whose land is acquired by the State are to have taken away from them, as the bill stands, the right of appeal to the Supreme Court. Hie irnne Minister and his colleague the Minister of Lands (Mr bangstone) have declared emphatically that there is no question 01. the provisions of the Bill being used in a harsh or unjust way. Accepting these assurances at their face value it is not easy o understand why the Government should insist on c enj mg owners of land the right to appeal to the Supreme Court it they desire to do so. Another leading objection to the 'Bill is that it denies to soldier settlers the option of acquiring the treehold. Ihe Minister’ of Lands maintains that the leasehold tenure is more advantageous to settlers and that “the freehold is the cheese in the moneylender’s mousetrap.” The R.S.A., however, which surely must’be regarded as having the interests of all soldiers very much at heart, and which includes in its administrative ranks men of first-class ability and experience, has asked, following on a conference, that the tenure for soldier settlers should be a renewable lease, with the right of conversion to the freehold after five years, the capital value to be fixed on the ptoductive capacity at time of occupation. It thus seems possible that in its insistence on leasehold and nothing but leasehold, the Government, may find itself in conflict, not with moneylenders and land aggregators, but with soldier settlers who wish to have an opportunity of acquiring the fee-simple of their holdings. On the whole the Prime Minister’s contention that the campaign against the Small Farms Amendment Bill is spurious is .decidedly unconvincing. It may be true, however, that an element, of unreality has entered into the discussion ol rhe position and outlook inside and outside Parliament. Altogether insufficient attention appears to have been paid to some very vital questions which almost certainly will force themselves on. attention in the comparatively near future. An expansion of small settlement on the lines on which it is now being projected broadly in New Zealand presumably must depend in an important degree for its success upon the opening up of additional oversea markets. It would be a bold optimist, however, who would claim that adequate markets overseas and satisfactory prices for produce can be taken for granted in the period of after-war reconstruction. Ordinary prudence, and a regard for the welfare of our soldiers when they return, point to the necessity of considering very seriously how far land industry and other industries can be developed in this country, after the war, if satisfactory and adequate markets are not then available for our export produce. Whether it is to be on a leasehold tenure or a freehold tenure, soldier settlement is worth establishing only it il can be established on a firm foundation. Serious heed ought, to be given, for example, to prospective developments like that announced the other day by the British Minister ol Agriculture, Mi’ Hudson—a continuing expansion of the home production of foodstuffs in the United Kingdom. ANOTHER NAVAL ACHIEVEMENT. JPULLER details now available show that the British naval squadron in the Mediterranean made splendid use ol limited opportunities in its latest encounter with lhe Italian fleet, in the Mediterranean off Sardinia. Marly reports mentioned that the Italian ships, as usual, made for their ports at. top speed almost as soon as they had been engaged at extreme range. There seemed, in these eireumstanees, to be little prospect of much damage having been done Io the enemy, but it is now clear that, the damage done was substantial. In addition to the modern Italian destroyer reported yesterday to have been so damaged that she had to be towed into port, a cruiser ■was set on lire and two destroyers were damaged. Since these results were obtained by gunfire al extreme range, directed against fast enemy ships making lor home at top speed and covering their retreat will) smoke-screens, il " ill bo obvious I hat the gunnery of lhe British warships was ol a superlative standard. Only very high standards of skill and all-round efficiency made possible, in such conditions, lhe results that were achieved. The Fleet Air Arm, too, once again covered itself with glory in an attack in which Italy’s remaining 3;>,00()-tou battleship was hit by a torpedo. The heavy inroads that have already been made on Billy’s naval strength, including the permanent or temporary reduction of the enemy battleship force to less than one-third of what il was, must bi 1 exceedingly disheartening to Mussolini and his supporters. Obviously, Joo, there is no assurance that tin 1 good work of lhe British Navy will not he continued. All (he more because so much ol the arduous and dangerous work of our Navy is carried on behind a veil of secrecy and is made manifest only in its results ol i protected coasts and sea routes, the achievements ol our warships and naval aircraft in the .Mediterranean stand out remarkably. If is particularlv gratifying that in the latest sea and ail' encounters with lhe Italian forces no serious damage was suffered by any British ship and that the casualties which occurred in one ship—HALS. Berwick—were few in number, though they included some loss of life.