BOOMING LAND PRICES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 399, 17 May 1922, Page 5

BOOMING LAND PRICES.

GOVERNMENT NOT RESPONSIBLE. SIDELIGHTS ON SOLDIER-SETTLE. MENT. In view of tha discussion that has taken place lately with regard to the soldiersettlement scheme, the following remarks by Mr Hugh Morrison in his address to yesterday’s conference of farmers at Wanganui, and of more than passing interest. “It was unfortunate,” he said, “that the slump showed itself in this country directly so many thousand soldiers were placed on the land. We repeatedly hear it said that the Government was responsible for putting up the price of land and paying boom prices. I was a member of the Land Purchase Board in the Wairarapa, and can state emphatically that tho Government buying land for soldiers was not the principal cause of the excessive prices being given by private individuals for land. Tho laud for soldiers was bought considerably below the average price given privately. For every place the Government bought ic turned down three or four. An ample margin was left for a considerable fall in the price of our products. If any person had prophesied at that time that wool wa.» going to fall from an average of 15d to 4j,d he would have been decried as tho most miserable pessimist on earth. The unexpected happened in dairy produce, meat and wool, and consequently a number of our soldier settlers are in difficulties. The Government I believe has done and is doing its best for tho soldier settlers under the trying circumstances they have to face REVALUATION INEVITABLE. “It is suggested that there should be a revaluation of these lands. I believe that the revaluation is inevitable, and must come sooner or later. It would have been impossible for any set of valuers to make any permanent concessions in tho way of valuations up to the present time, for thg simple reason that we have not yet reacned normal conditions, and until we can see some stability in the markets for our produce it would bo very unwise to try anything in the way of revaluation. In the meantime the Government is pursuing tho only possible course, taking each man on Ids merits and assisting him through the slump period. My experience of the soldier settler is that while there may be a few among them who are not triers, the majority are working hard, sticking to their farms, and will make real good settlers. The Government and people of this country promised the soldier to start him in life on his return from the war; .this was done. No country in the world has done more for its returned soldiers than has this Dominion. I have no hesitation in saying that if they stick to their holdings ana see this slump through they will have no cause to regret it.”