SETTLING SOLDIERS ON THE LAND

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 40, 15 August 1918, Page 7

SETTLING SOLDIERS ON THE LAND

MINISTER WELL PLEASED

REVIEW OF PROGRESS.

To enable his colleagues of Cabinet to keep in touch with the large expenditure incurred in the settlement of returned soldiers on land, the Minister-in-Charge (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie) has had a table prepared giving the details of all purchases. "The experience up to the present has been fairly satisfactory; I might say it is good. It exceeds my expectations," remarked Hie Minister yesterday. There was one fact which had to bo faced'; it was becoming apparent that there' was a desire on the part of soldiers to form_ settlements of their own instead of merging into the general community. The official details of the Wellington district are: —

Greystoke, bought from Grey Bros., 1066 acres, £32,032, 14 holdings, agricultural and dairying. Prospects—l 3 good, 1 doubtful. Causes of forfeitures —1 doubtful of ability to succeed, 1 owing to residence elsewhere.

Makowai, bought from J. -M'Kelvie, .T. H. Whisker, W. A. J. Hall, A. J. Simpson, 1451 acres, £56,329; 25 holdings, dairying. Prospects—23 good, 2 doubtful. Forfeitures—l to return to England, 1 doubtful of ability to succeed, 1 dishonest practices, 1 through domestic reasons, 1 for abandonment. ■ y

Fa'irfield, bought from Fairfield Thompson, 1020 acres, £20,400; 7 holdings (131 acre's remaining to be selected), agricultural and dairying. Prospects—Fair, 1 doubtful. Forfeitures—B surrendered, as land did not come up to expectations, 2 forfeited as dishonest and unreliable, 1 for abandonment.

.Tiraumea, bought from Messrs. Holmes, 10,163 acres, £81,624, 21 holdings, pastoral. Prospects—Success assured. Forfeitures—Three surrendered, for reasons not connected with the sections.

Putorino, bought from J. Hammond, 953 acres, £27,643, 15 holdings, dairying. Prospects—Fourteen good, one doubtful. Forfeitures—One for inability to carry on, one for unreliableness.

Cherry Grove, bought from T. W. Hook, 573 acres, £5730, three holdings, mixed farming. Prospects—Promising. Kopane, bought from Mr. W. Johnston, 470 acres, £30,550, 14 holdings, dairying. Prospects—Promising; one likely to 'surrender. Forfeitures—Three surrendered immediately after allotment, two through changed circumstances, one by failure to find a deposit. Waihora, bought from R. Morrison, 459 acres, £9180, three holdings, mixed land. Prospects—Promising. '' TJkenua, bought from' E. J. Ryder, 222 acres, £8455, three holdings, dairying. Prospects—Success assured. .", Tauherenikau Camp site, bought from H. L. Williams,- 570 acres, £8550, leased to Defence Department at £431 a year. Not yet offered for selection.

NEED OP TRAINING.

Many competent critics have stated their opinion emphatically that it is courting failure—inviting misfortune 1 to a settler and loss to the country—to place untrained soldiers in a position'of ownership on the land. A probationary period of training has been strongly advocated—practically a system of "tryingout," a sorting of the suitables from the unhandy men. Mr. Guthrie said yesterday that the need of a training or instructional farm for the benefit of returned soldiers who lacked experience of the land had been recommended by him three years ago in Parliament. He was certain that it would be a wise step to have such training, provided the soldiers themselves would accept it. "Unfortunately," he continued, '^»ur experience in this matter has been most discouraging. We set aside a very suitable block of Jand, 1200 acres, in tlie Canterbury district, for an instructional farm. The Canterbury Patriotic Society undertook the expenses of management. The society's chairman, Mr. Boyle, was very enthusiastic about this enterprise. The understanding was that when the .farm was no longer required for training purposes it would revert to the Government and would be available for settlement by returned soldiers. Our experience proved that the soldiers were not prepared to go on the farm and accept the privilege of training under a good manager. After that experience nothing "further has been done, but by that I do not mean to say that it might not be found necessary to make another attempt, probably in another locality."