REPATRIATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 125, 26 May 1920, Page 6

REPATRIATION.

x*ajm» BET-ruacEirr wosk. COST AND HOW ETCCBjEED. VERY BIG FIGURES. The Minister of Lands bat made available some particulars ac to where all the nineteen millions expended (by the Government on the repatriation of soldie.™ hae gone. A little more than ejghteen millions has been spent on the settlement of soldiers on land, although come of this expenditure, upwards of a million and a-half, is not effective vet, as the land purchased has not 'been offered for selection. A little more than a million has been expended on other branches of repatriation activity. The groes total is £19,005,891. Following are details as supplied by the Minister:— ' Settled on Settlement Land.—(ci On cub-divided purchased estates, I.OU men on 280,576 acres; (lb) on estates pur-chased-by the Crown on behalf o f soldiers,or groups of soldiers under sections 3 of the Act, 195 on 30,095 acres. Settled on Crown Land and National Endowment Land.—B9o, on 897,908 acres. Assisted to Purchase Private Land under section 2 of the Act.—4,750, on 911,524 acres. j Total on Rural Land.—6,Bsß, on 2,120.103 acres. Assisted to Purchase Town Dwellings. -t-6,826. . c 1 Total number assisted, 13,684. \ PURCHASE OF LAND. The cost -was analysed by the Minister fts foliowe:— Under Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act: (a) Advanced for stock and improvements, £1,854,634. (b> For purchase of private land. £7,181,094.

(c) For purchase of town dwellines, £4,454,708. 6

Total, £13,490,436. Under Lands for Settlement Act.— Capital value of 203 estates purchased, comprising 210,991 acres, and offered to eoldicrs, £2,834,198. Total expenditure in providing 13,634 men with homes or farme, £16,324,034. In addition the Government has purchased under the Lands for Settlement Act 61 estates comprising 206,688 acres, which are now being sob-divided and prepared for settlement—at a cost of £1,680,571.

The total outlay by the Lend and Land Purchase Departments » thus £18,005,195.

AVERAGE PER MA,v The 'Minister made an interesting statement of the average expenditure under the various headings as follows:— £ Advance for stock and implements 491 Advance for purchase of . private land 1511 Advance for purchase dwellings .. 652 Capital value settlement sections 2271 OTHER REPATRIATION WORK. Mr. Guthrie, ac a member of the Repatriation Board, was able to show what 'had been done in repatriation yporic apart from that which k most concerned with land and homes. At April 30, he eaiti, there were .77,499 men on the Repatriation ... Department's register. The majority of these required no assistance; but assistance had been given to 35,275 under the following headings:— Placed in employment, 10.681. Training arranged for 5^)19. Financially assisted to re-establish themselves, 12,345. Sustenance grantmade to 030. The total amount granted by the Repatriation Department by way of financial assistance was £1,060,320. It would thus be seen that the two Departments had repatriated 48,959 men, at an outlay of £17,384,954. These figures, of course, did not include the estates or soldier-eettlers to be dealt with, ac outlined, in the next few months.