LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXXI, 10 January 1916, Page 7

LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

THE AREAS AVAILABLE.

■ The quantity of land provisionally set aside by the Prime Minister (as Minister for Lands) for the 'settlement of returned soldiers totals 499,262 acres. Of this amount, areas aggregating 87,000 have been definitely set aside, and will shortly be alienated by proclamation for this purpose. c A reDresentative of the Wellington Pqst' obtained from_ the Prime Minister some details regarding the 87,000 a^res. About 60,000 acres are situated in the Upper. Hawke's Bay, comprising the Kaiwaka. Block, 6880 acres; the Henuaturea Block; 3990 acres; the Awa-o-to-tara Block, 17,130 acres; the Purahotangihia Block, 26,300 acres; the Te. Kuta Block, 1470 acres; and other land* open for selection, 5308 acres. The whole of this land is situated on the route of the Napier-Gisborne railway, about four to eight miles from Napier, and is chiefly opeii, hilly, pastoral land, mostly in" grass, part in scrub and fern. It is j described as suitable for sub-division into sheep farms ranging from 500 to a few thousand acres, probably averaging about a thousand acres each. It is now' sub-divided. 7

. Another Hawke's Bay block is in the TaSapau Survey District, and comprises 6543 acres, situated on the Na-pier-Wellington railway between Norsewood and Takapau townships. The soil is first-class and most suitable for dairying. The block is l surveyed into 22 holdings, and the lease expires in May next. The Prime Minister said that this land would be eminently suitable for the purpose for which it is set apart. It was already "broken in" and would not require from those who took it up the hardships of pioneering. Land set apart in the Wellington district comprises 71 acres of the HallJones Settlement at the Hutt,- and 107 acres of the Waddington Settlement, also at the Hutt. This lana is flat and rich. The' ( Hall-Jones Settlement is available for occupation at once, and the W'addington Settlement will be ready iri October next. In Otago there are 23,090 acres of the Benmore Estate, open tussock land suitable for pastoral purposes in areas averaging about 12,000 acres. The land set apart is described as the best of the lew-lying nart of Benmore. In addition, .the P«ukawa Swamp, near Te Ante, is being drained, jxd when the work is completed t-hoie will be another 2500 p^res of rich }and suitable for small holdings ."vailabls. So far, -said the Prime Minister, the nnquiries from returned soldiers for land had been very few. In "ises1 where soldiers had come to them pvery assistance had been given. In one instance a man Tn?d been placed on a sheep inn in the Marlborough locality. The time they had to provide against, of course, was vvneu the war was over and men who were fit and well were returning home.