SOLDIERS' GRIEVANCES

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 48, 25 August 1922, Page 7

SOLDIERS' GRIEVANCES

[Ai NEW SOUTH WALES FAILURE

THE PRICES PAID TOO HIGH,

{UNITED FRHI ASSOCIATION.—COPIIUMT.)

SYDNEY, 24th August.

The Legislative Assembly adopted, a motion to appoint a Royal Commission to inquire, into soldier settlements, with a view to adjusting grievances. These grievances are widespread and ' acute. The Minister of Lands stated that some estates purchased at great expense remained unoccupied'; in other cases where blocks had/never been confirmed advances were made without security. Although money was available and a large number of soldiers were desirous of settling, he refused to purchase any more estates, because the system was unsonnd and the principle wrong, and in many cases it was impossible for men to make a success of farms. New South Wales had arranged to spend £17,500,----000 on settlements, of which the Commonwealth Government would provide £12,250,000. Already £9,826,000 of Commonwealth advances and £1,861,000 of State money had been expended in settling 7025 soldiers. Numbers of them had abandoned their holdings. To a large extent the cause of the unsatisfactory results was the fact that the only qualification required was a military discharge. Many of the men were'without knowledge or experience of country life.. Broken in health and lacking aptitude for the calling, they were placed on land with debts of thousands of pounds hanging over their heads. The whole system urgently demanded reorganisation. There still remained 1380 soldiers to be. settled. ,