SOLDIER SETTLEMENT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 21 November 1924, Page 5

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT.

POSITION IN QUEENSLAND. In Queensland a good number of soldier settlers have done Avell, but shoAv a disinclination to meet their obligations, both to the Government and. to the shire councils. After the writing doAvn of values and the Avritlng off of interest have been concluded soldier settlers Avho are able to pay will be compelled to meet their obligations. For the last two years action has been taken, Avherever land became available, to increase the holding of any settler Avho justly t VvJ n i his holding did not constitute a living area. These statements were'made by the Minister, of Lands (Mr McCormack) in the course of a review of the position of soldier settlers. He pointed out that already considerably more than £IOO,OOO had been written off the values of holdings borne criticism, he continued, had been directed against the department because the Revaluation Board had not recommended a heavier writing aoAvn on the various soldier settled meats. The assertion that New Zealand had Avritten off a greater amount Avas not true. New Zealand had provided £27,095,116 for soldier settlement, as against £3,399,165 in Queensland, and the percentage of writing down wasi not greater in New Zealand than m Queensland. With regard to interest and redemption payments, it was interesting to note that Maria settlers were the only ones on group settJements Avho had met their °'"’Sations. Of the remaining 1200 settlers four had met their full interest, 25 had paid up to June, 1923, and had P aid something on account. Inis question of accrued interest was reaffy a greater problem than revaluation and a much more difficult one to uandle fairly. He now had the chairman of the Revaluation Board engaged m an inA’-estigation of each indiA r idual case. Each case must he considered on its merits He knew it meant Avriting off several hundred thousand pounds in addition to the revaluation amounts’ out the State must be prepared to give those soldiers who had stuck to their holdings and had shown a capacity to make good” a chance of earning a