MORE COMPULSION

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22569, 24 February 1948, Page 6

MORE COMPULSION

ACQUISITION OF LAND EX-SOLDIERS’ SETTLEMENT (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 24. Commenting on the Government's decision to make fuller use of the compulsory provisions of the Servicemen's Settlement and Land Sales Act, the Minister of Lands and Rehabilitation, Mr. C. F. Skinner, said that up to the present it had not been the policy of the Government to force a man to sell if he had offered land but did not agree us to price. Some owners of large holdings were quick to use that policy as a device to escape the operation of the Act. “We shall adhere to the policy of not invoking section 51 of the Act to force an owner of a single unit farm to sell if he offers it for sale to an ex-servicemen but is not satisfied with the basic value fixed by the land sales committee,” Mr. Skinner said. Replying to those who said that the Government should make greater use of undeveloped land, Mr. Skinner said that a r.ation-vvide survey of land was , in hand, but to keep faith with ex- ‘ servicemen land that could be settled in the near future must be made available. It also had been suggested that ex-servicemen should be given land where they could hew out an equity for themselves, but if the Government could not find labour and material to develop such land how could individual servicemen do so?