SOLDIER SETTLEMENTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 24 September 1924, Page 5

SOLDIER SETTLEMENTS.

WRITING DOWN RESULTS.

(By Telegraph.—Special to Star). .WELLINGTON, Sept. 23. The Dominion Board’s report of the operations of the revaluation committees in connection with soldiers’ settlement are detailed in a report of the Dominion’s Board, which "had dealt with 824 cases out of 5347 applications at March 31. The Board’s decisions have the following financial reRedaction in capital value on leasehold property £139,676, /reduction of mortgages under section 2 of the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act, 1917, £106,416. The foregoing reductions are in respect of capital, and carry a. corresponding reduction of rents or interest in future, lhe approximate amount of rent instalment and current account interest postponed and remitted by the Dominion Board up to March 31 is as follows: Postponements of rent .£30,805, instalments £64,326. current account interest £1386, total £96.517. Remissions of rent and instalments amount to £Bl5. The chairman of the Dominion Board states that the various land distrut authorities have been advised that it must not be assumed that ihe determinations arrived at are to. be considered as having afforded the soldier settler the maximum amount of assistance he may receive. On the contrary it must be realised that much of the relief afforded by the Board would be rendered nugatory unless followed up with sympathetic assistance from the respective land boards by way of current account advances where warranted and further postponements where necessary in future. It was apparent that a firm hand must be kept on some men, but the endeavour of the Dominion Board has been to give all soldier settlers a fair chance for the future. No attempt has been made to bolster up Crown securities in any wav, and reductions have been made as found necessary.. Quite an amount, of success has been met- with in persuading private mortgages to discharge or ing private mortgages to discharge or Board had also been able to obtain reductions in debts against settlers. ELASTIC SYSTEM OF RELIEF.

It was sometimes apparent to the Dominion Board that some relief in connection with future payments is far ?jpore beneficial to a settler than any rlief the Board can give under its statutory authority, and in such cases a firm recommendation is made to Land Boards. As an instance of this, the capital value of an undeveloped or partly undeveloped section might, according to the valuation, says the report, be iust about sustained, and the settlers’ chief trouble is not the value of his land, but the payment of his rent until such time as the land becomes productive. In such a case any assistance the Dominion Board could give under its statutory authority would be of very little use to settlers, while exemption from rent for a certain number of years until the land is made productive would be very beneficial. The Dominion Board, in such cases, makes a recommendation for exemption which can be carried into effect by land boards and the Minister. Such recommendations a-re invariably given effect to. It will therefore be observed that the Dominion Board does not merely adhere to its statutory authority. but makes helpful recommendations which, on consideration of all the farts, it considers will place settlers in such a position as to successfully ocupv the land.