LAND SETTLEMENT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 284, 30 November 1944, Page 7

LAND SETTLEMENT

MEN BACK FEOM WAR

"ACTIONS NOT WORDS"

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, this day. "It is not a question of words but of actions and deeds," said Mr. Langstone (Govt., Waimarino) speaking in the second reading debate on the Rehabilitation Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives last j evening. When people were \>reI pared to enforce conscription of flesh ; and blood no one nad any right to ; complain if they were going to be upset, even if it meant taking their I land or even their homes, for the settlement of returned men and the keeping of pledges given to those men before they went away, he said. "I feel that rehabilitation and national development must go hand in hand," added Mr. Langstone. "We want a big, broad, all embracing policy. That will mean spending. I am certain it does not mean a reduction in taxation. In the last Budget we voted £133,000,000 for war, and £98,700.000 of that will be spent internally. This expenditure must go on. If that expenditure is cut the country will be heading for another depression." On the subject of land settlement for soldiers, Mr. Langstone said there was very little Crown land available. "We have got to buy land —take it in the best localities."

Co-operation ITecessary Stressing the advantages to be gained from co-operation in land ; settlement, he declared that the next I step in the path of progress was the replacement of competition by coI operation. In war service there had i been engendered among men a j camaraderie that made them amenj able to co-operation. "I estimate we will need to take about 2,000,000 acres of privately owned land if we are going to settle the returned soldier on the land," teaid Mr. Langstone, "but I don't think we could successfully and economically place more than 6000 additional settlers. There is no grea 1 : room for expansion, but we could have more diversified farming." New Zealand service personnel had proved to the world that they were men of courage and initiative, and while the Rehabilitation Department had to deal with them sympathetically no encouragement should be given to the adoption of a laissez faire attitude by the men, stated Mr. Lowry (Govt., Otaki). They should not encourage a belief among returned men that all they had to do was to hold out their hands and all would be well, but should encourage them to continue to show the initiative and resourcefulness they had displayed overseas. Mr. Lowry said he was in favour of the interest rate being reduced. Mr. Gillespie (Nat., Hurunui) said that, judging by the experiences of some of those who had had long service in New Zealand, followed by duty in the Pacific, their applications for loans for houses were being deferred until the return of the bulk of the Middle East soldiers. He stressed that once a man entered the Army he had to go where he was told, therefore any differentiation against Pacific servicemen was unfair and would ultimately create a bottle neck through their cases having to be dealt with when the rush started. He added that he would like to see more done regarding settling men on t'.ie land.