LAND AGGREGATION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 1219, 3 June 1919, Page 2

LAND AGGREGATION.

DEPUTATIONS AT DANNEVIRKE. fIIJESTION OF SOLDIERS* SETTLEMENT. DANNEVIRKE, Wednesday. Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Minister of Lands-, at Danncvirke last evening met a number of local deputations. One from returned soldiers urged the speedy opening up of the Tiriiu block, an increase in the Government grant in specially approved cases, and an alteration In the tenure to permit a soldier to buy out a neighbouring soldier if he vyanted to. The Minister held out ao hope :>f permitting soldiers aggregating in this way, and said an extension of the present limit of the advance was a matter for Cabinet. He said Tiratu will be opened in July and the ballot will be held at Dannevirke. A water supply for the block would be provided and the sections would range in area from 100 to 250 acres. The Minister was also approached by the Chamber of Commerce on the subject of land aggregation. He said he was fully alive to what was going on and intimated that in certain cases under notice the provisions of the Act of last session would be put into force if the present intention of the suspected aggregators was carried out. He intended making an attempt to close the loop hole in the clause in the last Act relating to aggregation. Other matters dealing with ihe shortage of railway trucks for stot-k, repatriation, and the electoral headquarters of the Pahiaiua electorate were brought under the Minister's notice and will be referred to the different Ministers concerned.