LAND SETTLEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 167, 16 July 1924, Page 6

LAND SETTLEMENT.

NEW MINISTER CAUTIOUS, ■ (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON. Tuesday. A cautious tone was adopted fey the new Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. McLeod), in referring in the House to-day, to the future land settlement as a reply to opposition critics. He said that since 1919, 10,620 selections of land had been made, involving 3,579,000 acres. He would riot declare that all this land was occupied at present, but it showed that settlement had taken place. Until some deflation occurred in extreme high land values for areas suitable for small settlement, it would be courting disaster to proceed actively. He intended to watch this aspect closely. Few people realised that there was over fifty millions of money involved in land settlement in New Zealand. This required a big machine to handle thoroughly, and he would not say there was no room for improvement in the handling of such an enormous national estate. He was sure that the best intelligence would have to be brought to bear on clearing up many difficulties, including chattel securities, stock mortgages, and proper handling of flooded lands before it could be said land settlement in New Zealand was completely successful. Soldiers' Lands. Mr. McLeod predicted that most of the serious losses in connection with soldier settlement would be in connect'on with Part 2 of the Act, under which soldiers made their own selections. The revaluation system •vias going on successfully, and he was quite sure that parliament did not desire the Government to interfere with the operations of this board. He was getting its reports, and it would be found that as the work proceeded that, although one might just as well ask for the moon as to expect everyone to be satisneu, yet there be, generally speaking, satisfactory results to the bulk of soldier settlers. Most complaint would arise under Section 2 of the Act. If there were second mortgages amounting to as much as, or more than the first mortgage, and the holder of the second mortgage stood firm, making no reduction, he did not see how they could meet the position, and hardships would undoubtedly occur in such cases. It was not alone with the soldier settler that these difficulties were heing encountered.