“State Disinterested In Settling Soldiers”

Northern Advocate, 24 July 1943, Page 2

“State Disinterested In Settling Soldiers”

•'•Rehabilitation is a very big question. Tiie State does not seem interested in settling’ returned soldiers, and they are over-capitalising the country,” said the secretary. (Mr R. M. Douglas) at yesterday's meeting of tlu* Whangarei branch. Farmers’ Union. "The Government should bring In more land which is :d presold lying idle instead of dividing farms which are at. their full productive capacity.” he said. Tlt-l timed soldiers seeking farms would want improvable land, in inkier in in* ere,aso its value. ••Land should be taken from speculators who arc not interested In the welfare of our returning boys, and given ro them. The speculators should not make a profit out of boys who nave been fighting for them."

The president (Mr F. Simnioiuls; said there was plenty of (invornmontaHaml on which it might he possible to settle returned men. Rehabilitation was being discussed today by R.S.A. organisations ajul local bodies’ committees. The military authorities had very fine study classes and ail aspects of farming and various trades and occupations were discussed, lie considered the army authorities should contact men in hospital and find on! the best thing to be dime for each. Men who were in a trade before enlisting should be allowed to ivstime .their apprenticeship and the Government subsidise them to the extent of giving them a living wage. All second class land should be made available for them, said Mr Douglas. Young single men should be encouraged to take up blocks of land and, working together, usihg modern machinery, they would soon have farms which would mj productive, at a fairly low cost. "There are hundreds of thousands of acres of Governmental kinds in the North amt witii the assistance of the Government. till could he brought into production and would be beautiful properties," saiil Mr Siminonds. Mr May objected to (lie local bodies', practices of getting returned men into unproductive jobs stieii as gardening and grubbing, as had happened after the last war. A motion that the rehabilitation question be postponed for further information was earned.