SOLDIER SETTLERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3129, 6 July 1917, Page 6

SOLDIER SETTLERS

AND THE LAND PROBLEM ROUGH COUNTRY HARDSHIPS There was a fairly largo attendance of returned soldiers at the .Returned Soldiers' Club last evening, when Air. A. P. Whatman (of the Wairarapa) and Mr. J. "1. Eox gave an account of their recent visit to the country to inspect lands available for settlement by returned soldiers and lands already occupied by them. On tho request of Mr. A. S. Biss the chair was occupied by Sir ltobert Stout. The chairman said ho was sure they would all be glad to hear what Mr. Whatman had to say. They could not expect returned soldiers to take up largo holdings without their having beenfarmcrs and incidentally lie said that they could not always expect the high prices for stock that were' being realised at the present time. . Mr. A. P. Whatman said that the land settlement cmestion liad arisen through a motion passed by the Wairarapa Patriotic Association, affirming the idea of gaining possession of sonio of tho larger improved properties, suitable for the purpose. The motion was made a, remit to tho Fanners' Conference at Marton, but had to be dealt with briefly at the end of the conference. Tho conference leit it to a committee of four to.go into the matter, and they decided that land should be taken at a fair valuation (at prewar valuations) bv the Government and paid for by war bonds at i$ per cent. The scheme was then put to the conference, who passed it without comment unanimously. -The matter would be put before the Dominion Conference of farmers to be held in Wellington this month, and he had little doubt that it would receive the same reception. There were instances in the Wairarapa where die cutting up of big areas of good quality land would be of benefit to the whole of the Dominion, lie referred to grass lands. Many men who had been to the war or were there now, and who had consequently spent the last two or three years in the open, should be given tho opportunity of leaving the old desk or counter and going on to the land, bay that the proportion of such men were 10 per cent, of"the whole, it would metui, providing for 10,000 men. To put those men on 200-acro blocks, costiing, say, .£lO an acre, would mean a "smm of ,£20,000,000. That seemed a lot of money, but if that expenditure were met by rho issue of war bonds extending over 20 or 25 years lie maintained that it would be an excellent investment for the country. He had made a little tour with Mr. I'ox, and he assured them that the boys were going to make good. (Applause.) On the Wanganui flivcr, where thoy found men on a 38,000 acre block (Wade's landing), the men were roughing it, but doing quite well. The land was very steep, still it was good land, and would be made good property. Ono great difficulty was that there was no access, but a road was being formed to Kaetihi. They wanted about nine miles of road, through tho block—all they wanted now was a lift, track through the middle of. tho block. Labour was expensive,. and 6omo of the men were unable to <lo their own bushfelling. The Government allowed the men lliaOO, and that was not enough. Tho bush-felling alone would cost .£-100, and the fencing j;300-X700 right away. But if the Government would advance £»W a year for two' years in all) they might be able to manage. Ho would make a suggestion, and that was that on Somes Island there were a good number of husky men (German prisoners) who could be profitably employed in bush-, felling and foncing the soldiers' land. That would be better than employing them in tree-planting. Ho thought there should bo advisory boards in. each district, consisting of farmers, who would buy tho land, in conjunction with the Government, and who would give the men practical advice as to what to do. He thought that there was no doubt that tho Government would give these little matters their immediate attention. The men who had gone away and had come back to go upon tho land had played the game, and ho was sure that if the men were given tho proper advice and assistance they would make good and be a credit to tho Dominion. (Applause.) Mr. Fox said that at present the Government advanced .£SOO, but a Juan did not get that until ho showed certain improvements. Mr. Whatman had told them that to fell the bush, grass, fence, and stock, it would cost .81200 for 200 acres, so that when a man started with .£SO of .£IOO, he had to expend all lie had on a house, provisions, and implements. They had visited twenty-four settlements, and ho could tell them that somo of the men on the Wanganui Eiver were going to havo a pretty tough tune, and he thought they were omy making a reasonable request in asking the Government to advance them .£IOOO, instead of the .£SOO. s M ....... Mr. T. Moss (Pahiatua) thought that it was unfair to put wounded men on bush sections without access roads. Knowing all about it, he would not like 'to put ouo of his sons (ho had three sons in France) on such land. Near Rongotea he had visited some of the soliders' settlements. There he had metjthe Commissioner of Crown Lands, but what tho men had said to the Commissioner was the reverse of complimentary. Mr. Moss referred to the number, of good farmers there were in the various districts ready to help the soldiers, and he. detailed the personnel of the trustees committees of farmers set up by the National Efficiency Board. He was very sorrv that the organisation was not being used by tho Government as it should be used. (Applause.)

Make the War Prisoners Work. One returned man said that if each soldier who vent on to a bush section were given five or six Germans, oft' Koines Island, to fell the bush, the Government would be doing something practicable. It was wrong to expect soldiers who had been knocked about in the war to break in such laud. Another soldier who referred to Somes Island as u "health resort," complained that the Government clothed and led the Gerinans, and even paid for their washing. ' At the conclusion of the meeting the following resolution was, on the motion of Mr. A. S. Biss, carried:—"That this meeting desires to record its appreciation of the interest and assistance returned soldiers are receiving from Mr. Whatman, in connection with the acquisition of land, and- thanks him for his endeavours to secure the support of the Farmers' "Union in connection with tho proposed" acquisition of suitable land for settlement by soldiers." On the motion of Mr. Alec. Grey, Sir Robert Stout was cordially thanked for presiding.