LAND SALES

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 309, 24 September 1943, Page 9

LAND SALES

Prime Minister’s Reply To Mr. Mulholland A reply to a statement, by the Dominion president of the Farmers’ Union, Mr. W. W. Mulholland, that members of the union should refuse service on laud sales committees under the Servicemens Settlement and Land Sales Act, was made bv the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, in his speech in the Wellington Town Hull last night. -Mr. Fraser said tllnt,instead of getting help and assistance'from men who should know better such as Mr. Hjilliolland, the Government was receiving opposition. If Mr. Mulholland wished to lurn his particular organization into an instrument for’ the futherance of the National Party that was his business, but he could hot be taken seriously as a leader in the country’s war effort, and Mr. Mulholland had done good work in that respect, when ho said that not only would be himself not assist but his organization would not assist in the operation of the Act. which was the best that could be devised for the settlement of the returned men. “If Mr. Mulholland floes wnr.t he threatens to do and asks his union to sabotage our attempt to help the returned servicemen all I can say is the Government will still go on,” said Mr. Fraser. “There is nothing unfair in the Act, which has been framed strictly on justice and after consultation with the best experts we could get to, assist us. Mr. Fraser said no practical alternative suggestion had been put forward. Mr. Mulholland’s executive had made some suggestions, but there, was not the ring of conviction about their representations. Some of the proposals were good a’m would be examined, and if Mr. Mulholland bad any proposals to offer -which were likely to improve the Act the Government would be glad to accept them, but if he threatened to sabotage the Government's scheme and the ex-servicemen then there would be something doing. He knew, however, that Mr. Mulholland was a man of common sense und woibd tflße the wisest course and ..co-operate. He took it that Mr. Mulholland had spoken without adequate thought.