43

C—9a

The Land Board's recommendations are as follows : — , Under section 2 of the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act; — Number. jn _ olvec | (1.) That instalments in arrears be postponed until the end of the term of £ the mortgage .. .. .. .. .. ..149 36,806 (2.) That postponement be made for varying terms from one to five years 14 2,314 (3.) That arrears of interest on current account be postponed .. .. 7 381 (4.) That the mortgage bo reduced .. . . .. .. .. 1 150 (5.) That rent bo postponed until the end of term .. .. .. 2 97 (6.) That rent be postponed for five years .. .. .. .. 1 247 (7.) That rent be remitted .. .. ..... .. .. 1 31 Settlement lands- - (8.) That rent bo postponed until end of term .. .. .. .. 1 353 (9.) That rent be postponed for five years .. .. .. ..44 5,929 (10.) That rent be postponed for ten years .. .. .. .. 8 1,272 (11.) That rent be remitted .. .. .. .. .. ..24 739 (12.) That capital value be reduced .. .. .. .. .. 4 1,638 Totals .. .. .. .. .. ..256 £49,957 Note. —The seeming disparity in the total number of cases where relief is recommended is owing to the fact that recommendations for relief are made under different headings, and sometimes two recommendations affecting the same property have been made. Enclosed with this memorandum are the following particulars : — (I.) Schedule giving the summarized results of the Inquiry Board and the Land Board's recommendations (2 ) The Inquiry Board's general report. (3.) Minutes of the Land Board giving Inquiry Board's finding and Land Board's recommendation in regard to each property. R. P. Greville, Commissioner of Crown Lands. The Under-Secretary for Lands, Wellington.

Auckland. 6th July, 1923. I forward herewith, schedules embodying for the information of the Hon. Minister of Lands the results of the investigations of the special Inquiry Board so far as they have been completed up to the present, and of the recommendations made by the Land Board after careful consideration thereof. The Inquiry Board commenced its work in this district on the 6th November, 1922, and, at first jointly and subsequently separately, the two members were engaged continuously up to the 12th June, 1923, on the work of inspection, the total number of holdings visited and reported on being 734. The Board has throughout followed the policy of making a personal inspection of each man's farm, meeting the holder himself (if at home), and going with him into the details of his financial position and the relief, if any, needed to enable him to succeed. I. have personally kept in as close touch with the Board as possible, and have had several discussions with them before and during the course; of their work. They have been accompanied on their inspections by the Supervisor of Soldier Settlements or the Crown Lands Ranger for the locality, all these officers having boon instructed to afford the Board all possible assistance. On Wodnseday, tho 20th ultimo, the members of the Land Board met the special Inquiry Board at this office and sat for four days in close conference with them, discussing the general principles on which the Inquiry Board had based its recommendations, as well as the nature of the reports and proposals submitted in a large proportion of the individual cases. The Land Board then sat for four days considering the reports in detail and framing its own recommendations, the results of which are embodied in the schedules. In the course of the discussions between the two Boards, certain points in regard to the Inquiry Board's operations became apparent. (I.) Naturally the Board would conduct its investigations in a sympathetic spirit, and while, no doubt, it was contemplated that these Boards, whose inquiries were not necessarily limited by the scope of present legislation, would approach their duties in that spirit, it will necessarily be recognized that, with their limited opportunities of observation, they may in many cases have been led to take a somewhat unduly lenient view of a settler's present position, and to overlook too much the personal factors which may have contributed in a very large degree to that position. The Board has not, except in very rare instances, seen or known the properties prior to their occupation by the soldier settlers, nor were the officers who accompanied them always able, owing to changes in personnel, to supply that information. Consequently the Board necessarily took much of their information on such points from the settlers themselves, who would display a natural tendency to magnify any difficulties they might have encountered. With such brief acquaintance with the settlers also it would be difficult for the Board to form a correct estimate of the personal factor in the problem —that is, how far lack of aptitude for farming, indolence, lack of attention to the farm and undue frequency of absence at amusements, want of method, or actual physical disability had brought about the present position. On such points it is evident that the Land Board, with its