HOMESTEAD SETTLEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 149, 24 June 1919, Page 6

HOMESTEAD SETTLEMENT.

QUESTION OF STABILITY. MAYOR SPEAKS PLAINLY. THE FREEHOLD PROPOSAL. That the Auckland Patriotic Association will require adequate assurance that the Mangere homestead settlement scheme will be accepted in the spirit in; which it is proffered, namely, that ol | providing settled, secure home-life fori disabled men umler congenial eurronna-l ings, was the epitome of a statement! made by the Mayor this morning in regard to one or two points of controversy that have cropped up in connection with the settlement, which is to cost some-! where in the neighbourhood of f 120.000. i Mentioning that the matter would be discussed further at the next executivo meeting of the association, the Mayor remarked that the endorsement giveni to tho scheme at the .annual meeting| warranted the association proceeding with it. provided all matters in connection with it could be satisfactorily settled. The nspociat'nn would bear steailil in mind the primary object of the scheme, to provide for thp disabled men, and the Association wou'd require a very clear indication that the scheme was approve.!, and that there was a reasonable prospect ot success. In other words. th°re niu-.-t be a substantial number (if disabled men. certainly excpedinc a hundred, who definitely" and absolutely, under conditions to n« agreed upon, would commit tb:nv=elves to take up the holdings, and .-incerning whom the association was satisfied of I their prospects of sottiin'.' happily. Tf,| on the other hand, after the scheme had hern further discussed in conjunction with the Disabled Soldiers' Oomni'tti-t? of the Reti-rned Soldiers' Association, it was found that there was any mom for iloubt. the nre-ent scheme would he reviewed, hut the Patriotic Association wonlrl still carry out its intention. ill another way. of substantially assisting the men in Group 4. nnmplv. the permanently or eerjouslv disabled soldier*, for whom tile movement was primarily initiated. The question of giving the men the freeholii was one that would have to be considered, ami nhVtiit which the executive hail expressed no opin'in a~ yet. Tt wns quite prepared to consider the views of the disabled men. and arrive at a decision in conference with them. In .mv case it should not lie long before a final decision was reached. If the community idea »'as not-pro-ceeder! with, added the Mayor, be saw no reason why corresponding benefits should not be extended individually to men. wherever they might elect to settle.