SETTLING THE LAND

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 64, 18 March 1925, Page 8

SETTLING THE LAND

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS.

In accordance with tho recent announcement of the Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. M'Leod) at Geraldine, lands for settlement are now being thrown open to civilians and soldiers on equal terms. In the Minister's opinion," the time has now arrived when an equal opportunity should be given to all to participate in the land ballots, as many young men who would have gone to the Avar had they not been too youiip were now in want of land, and should have it as a matter of fairness in view of the needs of the country for closer settlement.

The Minister informed a "Post" reporter to-day that his ■ announcement really meant that he was now going tcr deal with all ballots for land under section 113 of the Land Act, which prescribed the order of preference of applicants at ballots, both for civilians and soldiers. Section 113, said the Minister, prescribed that applicants at ballots should have preference equally over all other classes of-applicants as follows:— --- (a) Landless applicants who have now one or more children dependent on them. (b) Landless applicants who, within two years immediately preceding the date of the ballot, being duly qualified as applicants, have • applied for land at least twice unsuccessfully, whether under this Act or any former Land Act, or the Lands for Settlements Act, 1908. (c) Applicants who have served beyond New Zealand as members of a New Zealand Expeditionary Force raised for military service in conneo tion.with the war with Germany. (d) Applicants who, not being members of an expeditionary force as afore- . said, were engaged on military service beyond New Zealand in connection with the said war, if such persons immediately prior to the commencement of the war were bona fide residents of New Zealand. For the purposes of this paragraph the residence of any person in New Zealand shall not he deemed to have been affected by tern. ■ porary absence therefrom if the" board is satisfied that during such absence he had a fixed intention of returning to New Zealand for the purpose of .. residing there. In the case of other applicants, those who are landless shall have preference over those who are not landJess.

Some 22,000 acres of Crown lands are being offered for selection during the present month,. including the remaining portion of the Teviot Estate, situated near Roxburgh: