SOLDIER SETTLERS.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2123, 15 May 1922, Page 2

SOLDIER SETTLERS.

HOW TO LIGHTEN THE BURDEN. IS REVALUATION THE SOLUTION? The announcement of Mr Massey in his policy speech the other night that the Government anticipated a loss of £3,000,000 over the returned soldiers’ settlement scheme, was referred to by Mr J. I. Fox, of Feilding, at the district conference of the Returned Soldiers’ Association held in Palmerston North during the week-end. He urged that the Government should not speak of postponing payments of rent by returned soldiers on high-priced land, who arc now up against it. Postponement for a couple of years was only mounting up a frightening debt for the men to meet later. Private mortgagors all ever tile country were now meeting their tenants and enabling them to carry on, knowing that if they took over the land again themselves they would get no better results. It would be infinitely better if, instead of indefinite postponement, the Government put. on the Statute Book a definite decision to collect no i cuts for seven or ten years, to enable the men to regain their feet, and then added the amount owing to the capital value and charged the current interest rates on it. Another suggestion that had been put forward and had received a deal of support was that a revaluation be made, and on this point he differed with Mr .Jacobs, the district president. Personally, he saw no point in a revaluation at the present time, before prices were stabilised. If there was any certainty that prices would remain at a level for any period, then a revaluation would be advisable. Now, it would be useless. MrA.JI. Herbert (Eketahunu) said many of the men wore placed on the land without any knowledge of farming. Olliers were not triors, and, in tlie. chaotic condition of affairs as handled by tho Government, many men, who could pay, were dodging. Mr Jacobs advocated an immediate revaluation, to be followed by another in, perhaps, seven years:. This would give men a chance to carry on under reasonable, conditions, and those who failed to do so, could be sorted out as incompetents. On one settlement, in the near vicinity, there were fourteen men on good country. Only one of those men was not a competent farmer, but he had always the advice of one who was, and was now Die best-off man on the settlement. Each one had thirty-live acres, and his excess of revenue over expenditure at 1/ per lb for butlor-l'nt was about £.30 a year, exclusive of any stock losses (hat might occur. Home <d' them were married, and if butter-fat went, to 2/6 per lb they would receive no more than tho barest living. A revaluation was obviously necessary. The settlement he referred to was the McKenzie settlement. Colonel Mitchell said it was of no use howling about the mistakes of the past. Hi- was sure the Prime Minister under-estimated his loss. No business man would give more than 5u per cent for the. land bought for soldiers. Nevertheless, even if 50 per cent, had to be lost, the country would gain ultimately. Country settlement was wanted urgently. In ten years the population, with natural increases and immigration, had risen by 220,000. Of these 177.000 had been settled in the boroughs. Only 43,000 went on to rural lands. The 9000 soldiers settled should he kept going, and the only way to achieve it was by a revaluation. In a. world impoverished by war, prices were not going to increase largely nor quickly. As it was, the Government was not: collecting rents, and by so doing was creating a bad moral effect. Horne could not pay, but others who might were .shuffling their responsibilities in the general confusion. Another valuation could be made when prices were stabilised, and the Government, will! a board of experts to advise, could then sort out the incompetents and replace them with men who were good farmers. It would be belter for Uio country and better for the soldiers. It was resolved that the delegates to the Dominion Conference be instructed ro' press for a revaluation of those lauds hold by returned settlers, where revaluation was necessary. LOANS AND GRANTS. A large number of remits from various branches were considered

Those coming under the above heading were recast, and the following recommendations to the Dominion conference were passed:— That the Government be asked to expedite the payment of loans authorised for houses for returned men. That the Dominion conference be asked to recommend that the D.S. Act, in so far as it refers to erection of dwellings, be reopened, and that the Government be asked to state a period in which applications may be made. That as there are still a large number of returned soldiers who, for various reasons, have not-had benefits under the Repatriation Act, the Government be urged to reconsider its decision to discontinue advances under the Act. That the necessary steps be taken j to set up machinery for the purpose of enabling relief grants to be made by the War Funds Council for returned) soldiers and dependents throughout New Zealand. -MEDICAL TREATMENT. Remits in regard to matters concerning medical treatment of returned soldiers were endorsed for reference to the Dominion conference as under: From Eketahuna: “That it be a recommendation to the Director of .Medical Services, that where a man can produce medical testimony to the effect that the ailment from which he is suffering is directly attributable to a war disability, such testimony should be sufficient grounds for allowing free medical and hospital treatment, notwithstanding the fact that evidence of such ailment or disability may not appear on his medical history sheet.’ From Waitara: “That the T.B. patients journeying to Wellington for reboarding of pensions be granted lirstclass passes on the. railway.” DEI iEGATES ELECTS D. The following delegates were elected to attend the. Dominion conference: — Messrs A. H. Herbert (Eketahuna), D. ,1. Jacobs (Palmerston North), R. ,T F. Aldrich and G. Mitchell (Wellington), and H. B. Bnrdckin (Hawera). OFFICERS FOR THE TEAR. The election of officers resulted as follows; —President, Mr B. J. Jacobs; vice-president, Mr H. B. Burdekin; hon. treasurer, Mr H. N. Cooke; committee. Messrs It. J. F. Aldrich, J. F. A. Hebcnton, A. A. Ford, E. Lenihan and C. Gomcr.