H—lB

(iii) Grading and Training 71. While there has been some easing of the number of new applications received for land-settlement assistance, there has still not been the falling off in the demand for this assistance to the extent anticipated. Farming Sub-committees have been kept fully occupied in grading applicants who, as a result of training, have reached " A " Grade standard, or who have desired to extend their gradings to other districts or other types of farming. 72. There has been a substantial drop in the number of men undergoing or awaiting farm training and in view of the changed conditions since the farm-training scheme was inaugurated the Board decided that as a general practice the subsidization of wages being paid by employer trainors was no longer justified. The system of subsidized farm training has been amended to provide for training under subsidy to be limited to men who have complete lack of farming knowledge or to others because of therapeutic and other special reasons. As at 31st March, 1950, there were 428 ex-servicemen undergoing farm training with rehabilitation assistance. Of these, 374 were training with private farmers, 34 at agricultural colleges, 8 at Huramua Training Farm, and 12 at the special farm for disabled ex-servicemen at Milson. (iv) Settlement 73. The policy of the Land Settlement Board in employing a number of " A " Grade ex-servicemen on wages with the promise of a section on blocks acquired and being prepared for settlement continues, and the number so employed at 31st March, 1950 was 290. As in previous years, the Farms Advisory Committee gave special consideration to the progress of land-settlement and to the settlement problem ahead. The target figures set for the year ended 30th June, 1949 was— Through Behabilitation Loans Committee .. .. 600 Through Land Settlement Board .. .. .. 400 1,000 Whilst the actual settlement figures were — Through Rehabilitation Loans Committee .. .. 748 Through Land Settlement Board . . .. .. 451 Through Maori Rehabilitation Finance Committee .. .. 29 1,228 74. Adequate supplies of fencing-wire are now available and the fertilizer position has improved, but progress with the development and disposal of units has been hampered by the acute shortage of piping for water-supplies and by the difficulty in getting houses erected. Use is being made of temporary living accommodation to speed up disposal, but until now this has had limited application only. 75. The Farms Advisory Committee continues to work to the target of settling 10,000 men by the end of the 1952 season, and at the present rate of progress the men graded for dairy-farming will have ceased to be a problem by that time. The Committee is concerned, however, with the number of men awaiting sheep settlement, particularly in certain areas in the North Island, and consider that the scope for settling these men within a reasonable time by the purchase and subdivision of large blocks or development of new lands is definitely limited. The biggest possibility of reducing the number appears to be to induce the flow of existing single unit properties. 76. Details of the settlement figures are set out in Table IX of the Appendix.

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