EX-SOLDIER PRIVILEGES.

Northern Advocate, 22 August 1924, Page 5

EX-SOLDIER PRIVILEGES.

MINISTER ANSWERS CRITICS. STATEMENT WELL FOUNDED. WELLINGTON, This Day. The Hon. A. D. McLeod, Minister of Lands, referring to criticism by the Returned Soldiers' Association of his remarks during the financial debate in Parliament, said he would be very sorry to attempt in any way to belittle the good work done by the Association regarding settlement and perhaps other matters of Dominion importance affecting returned soldiers. It was more in respect of individual matters covering land difficulties brought before him both as a member and Minister that he felt that sufficient inquiries were not made before representations were forwarded to official quarters.

The Minister adds: "Whether it is for the reason that the purposes for which the associations were first set up have already been served, or that they do not now serve the purposo first intended, I do not know, but I do know that it is only with extreme difficulty and continuous whipping that life and interest are being installed into the doings of the great bulk of associations in question."

As the present controversy ranged round the question of the resuscitation of special borrowing privileges, more particularly for housing, the Minister said he proposed to. make a statement at an early date which he believed would go a long way to show that his opinion expressed in the House was not as unfounded as the public were being asked to believe.—Press Assn.