"WAR MEASURE"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1943, Page 4

"WAR MEASURE"

THE LAND BILL

HON. W. PERRY'S SUPPORT

"This is a war measure," said the Minister of Armed Forces and War Co-ordination (Mr. Perry) in the Legislative Council last night in reference to the Servicemen's Settlement and Land Sales Bill, which passed its second reading in the Council. "Some people may consider it contains harsh provisions. It may, in fact, work hardship to a considerable number of people. That is war. War works hardships both at home and abroad." People would have to put up with those hardships cheerfully for the benefit of the men who had gone overseas to fight to protect property in New Zealand. It was clear that the prices of real property in New Zealand had been rising for some time past, said Mr. Perry, and there were people in New Zealand now who were trying to sell land for the settlement of ex-servicemen at a price higher than its real value. That was very discreditable. Only one organisation had given any real thought to the question of land for settling ex-servicemen, and that was the R.S.A., said Mr. Perry. For many years that body had seen the tragedies that resulted from the unfettered sale of land to ex-servicemen after the last war, and it was determined that that would not happen again. A big mistake made after the last war was the placing of inexperienced men on the land.. That mistake would not be repeated. ' Mr. Perryi expressed the hope that the Government would enable returned men to acquire the freehold of the land under the Rehabilitation Act, with loans from the State Advances Corporation. The R.S.A. was partly responsible for the present legislation, he said. It approved of the principles in the Bill and had no alternatives to offer. The only organisation to make alternative suggestions was the Farmers' Union, and its proposals, to say the least, were extraordinary, and would not be well received By many people. As the R.S.A. was unable to offer any suggestions and as the Farmers Union's suggestions were not acceptable, and as no one else had any alternatives, he was constrained to vote ior the Bill. , ~ , The suggestion had been made that the Bill should be postponed for further consideration, continued Mr. Perry, but there had been an opportunity for discussing the Bill, and if certain people and organisations, had taken a real interest in the subject they would have considered it a long time ago instead of waiting for the Bill. There had been a suggestion that the Land Sales Committees would be "packed" with Government appointees who would carry out entirely, the Government policy, but if the Government acted as fairly in appointing the members as it had in appointing the personnel of fne mortgage adjustment committees under the 1936 Act he did not think the country need have any fears. Under the Bill, land belonging to servicemen could be taken from them after they returned from the war. In the Committee stage he proposed to move an amendment providing that no land should be taken from any returned serviceman of either this or the last war until it was found that there was no other land availThe Leader of the Council (Mr. Wilson), in reply to Mr. Perry, said that already the Government had given the freehold to, a considerable number of discharged servicemen. The Government was not going to take the land of any discharged serviceman while there was plenty of other land available, but surely it could not be contemplated that any returned serviceman should be allowed to retain large holdings which he was not able to farm while other servicemen wanted land. , '