LAND SETTLEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 142, 15 June 1917, Page 7

LAND SETTLEMENT.

COMPULSORY PURCHASE. (From Our Special Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, June 13. The deputation that waited upon Sir Francis Bell yesterday te, urge the acquisition of land in the Waipawa district for soldier settlement at least had the satisfaction of extracting from the Acting Minister of Lands a considerable amount of interesting information in regard to tlie attittiele of the' Government towards land acquisition generally. Sir Francis laid it clown as a settled policy that iv no ease would compulsion be applied till negotiation bail finally fuileel, and that tin- owner who subdivided his land himself nnd olTcrcd it for sale would be subject to no pressure from the State. For the pre'Se-nt the Government had no money available for tho acquisition of land other than that required by returned soldiers, and no general scheme of settlement on a large scale could be considered till normal conditions were restored.

While everyone here agrees that the returned soldiers should have preference in the- selection of land till all their reasonable requirements arc satisfied, some of the Minister's critics dissent very strongly from the other features of his policy. The extremists among them, of course, would solve the whole problem by progressive taxation drastic enough to bring all the land required into the market. The more moderate advocates of close settlement, while not going to that length, protest against the man who subdivides his big estate on paper and olTerß it for sale at exorbitant prices, being guaranteed against interference. They maintain that this man and his kind are mainly responsible' for the excessive land values which are pressing so hardly on the email farmer and preventing him obtaining an adequate return for his labour.

THE LANDS NORTH OK AUCKLAND. Another group of critics, who draw their arguments chiefly from the vast area of waste land iv the Auckland provincial district, declare the. Government might carry through a great scheme of settlement without purchasing a single acre from private owners if it would make intelligent use of the material it had in hand. Instead of purchasing improved land at largely inflated prices, these people contend, tbe Government should employ what money it has in roading the available Crown lands and assisting tbe men who arc ready to occupy them. It has been stated, on what seems to be good authority, that there are a million acres of land in the North of Auckland district alone which could be converteil into suitable farms for returned soldiers, at one-tenth the cost of purchasing a similar area of improved land.

No scheme of this sort would satisfy the needs of the men who are coming back crippled or shattered in health. These, if they go on the land at all, will require special provision in the way of highly improved areas in the neighbourhood of some centre of population. But thero is no reason why hundreds of returned soldiers and civilians should not be settled on comparatively small farms, in tho North of Auckland district for instance-. The soil there in many parts is exceptionally rich, tho climate is ideal, and the means of communication capable of great improvement. A great wealth of opportunity lies here for the soldier and the civilian alike, and it ought to be made accessible to them both.