SOLDIER SETTLERS.

Grey River Argus, 22 July 1926, Page 8

SOLDIER SETTLERS.

WRITING DOWN THE CAPITAL VALUES, Speaking on the Budget, All- 11. E Holland (Leader of the Opposition) said, with respect to soldier settlement lands:— The Budget shows that some of these lands have been written down to the extent of about £2,500,000. No one objects to relief being given to the ■soldier settlers; in fact, we are giving the soldiers nothing; we arc simply relieving them from an obligation that should never h/v'e been placed upon them. The operations in connection with the purchase of laud for soldiei settlement have represented a free gift to the wealthy laud owners of this country. But" the 2-1 million pounds is not the whole of the loss. Mr McLeod: It is the whole of the amount. Mr Holland: I think the honourable gentleman will find out that it is not the whole of the loss. His own reports show that it is not, and the Budget shows that it is not. I think theie must be further reductions in the capital value of soldier settlement lands. The Minister, I am sure, is not . prepared to say that the test reduction in the capital value of the soldier settlement lands had been mace. Mr McLeod: No one can say that; no one can foresee what may happen. Mr Holland: I am satisfied that there IISl 1S plenty of soldier settlement land which is over-capitalised at the present time. Listen to what the Financial Statement itself says: “In addition, substantial relief by way of remission of rent and interest has been given where deemed necessary, and in other cases postponement for varying terms up to ten years has been arranged.” I want the Minister of Lands to tell us where the figures can be obtained showing the details of these Remissions. I want to insist that where remissions of rent and interest are made, the making of them is equivalent to a reduction in capital value There can be no question at all about that. Ml- McLeod: There will be an annual statement. Mr Holland: I am simply quoting this to back up my statement that the 24 million pounds written off does not represent the whole of the loss resulting from the over-valuation of these lands. I want to say, Sir, that this 24 million pounds was, as much as it is possible for anything to be, a free gift to a number of land-owners of this country, and in the main wealthy land-

owners. Let me quote from the summary of one of the reports of the Inquiry Boards which reported in 1923. Honourable gentlemen will find it, Mi Speaker, in C-9A of that year. Hero is a report from the Nelson Land District: “We visited and inspected 371 farms. In general the position of the settlers is not the best. In our opinion after a very exhaustive inspection, the greater portion of the properties on which the returned men have boon placed is of poor quality. It would appear that property owners in many instances who sold to the soldier settlers retained Hip best of the land for themselves, and disposed of the poorer parts. In other cases, where this did not occur, the quality of the land at its best was only second class and oi low productive value. As shown by the percentage of unsuccessful men, hereinafter appearing, those who were fortunate enough to secure good places, with good quality of country are, considering all things, rather few.” 1 hope honourable members will take notice of this. Tt is not my statement, but constitutes a report laid on the table of the House by the Minister of La..ds himself, and there arc quite a number of other statements to the same effect which I have not time to quote, showing that the patriotism of the wealthy land-owners in this country was so great that when they got the opportunity to got rid of their land at high prices they sold the poorer , class of land, and in a number of cases the soldier settlors went on to it at such enhanced prices that they could not possibly make good. Mr Rhodes: Some of them gave their lands. Mr Holland: I am quoting from official reports, and my reference is to those who sold poor lands at prices fai above its value. The honourable gentleman cannot get away from those reports. If my time permitted I could take up an hour in making similar quotations from Departmental reports.