LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 28, 24 September 1920, Page 10

LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

The report upon sold i er- settlern en b for the year ended Mareh 31 last atate® : — "During the year just ended an area of approximately 299,435 acres, compnsing Crown land and private estates acquired imder the Land for Settlement-s Act, was halloted for by disqharged soldiers, and as in the majority of cases competition was very keen, practically every section was taken- up. Thes© lands were sub-divided into 577 holdings, and included two pastoral runs in HawKe's Bay, one pastoral run and nine small grazing runs in Ganterbury, five pastoral runa, and one small grazing run m | Otago, All these rung were readily selected. The lands allotteH under the | Discharged Soldiers* Settlement Act,

1915, during the year totalled 403,891 acres, cut up into 932 holdings/ of which an area of 326,197 acres was selected under the special t-enures provided by section 4 of the Act. This area comprised 801 farms. "At April 1 last sixty-four private estates purchased for settlement, covering an area of 216,186 acres, were being preparcd for disposal, and these will be offered in addition to other estates which are being surveyed and roaded preparaas soon as the essential surveylng and other preliminary work can be completed. Furthermore, large area.a of virgin Crown land, particularly in the Auckland and North Auckland districts, are being surveyed an droaded preparatorj' to being placed on the market. A cortsiderable portion of the land to be made available in. the Auckland district

^ comprises pumice areas, for the develc ment of which cheap manures and eai facilities for the carriage of prodm and farming materials are necessar are being pushed on over large tracts I partiaUy unexplored and in some par forest-clad country lying hehveen 1 Kuiti and Taumarunui, and drain^ operations on the "Hauraki Plains an other parts of the district are being e. pedited to enable these fertile lands t be brought into cultivation as soon t possible, In the Otago Mhd \h» I censes of several pastoral and grazin runs have expired, and these will tiun be available, as well as eight small iw, It need scarcely be repeated that ths De-I partment has ussd, and will continue Vi use, all means In its power to adequste* ly provide land for all classes oi aturned men who ara willing td eitli thereon."