CANADIAN SOLDIER SETILEMENT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 31 October 1921, Page 7

CANADIAN SOLDIER SETILEMENT.

COIRAO KOCS EFFORT

VANCOUVER. Sept. 20. Returned Canadian soldiers bought (ic j/omosioiuK'd Istnd in tlicif native country to the cxtcnt_ot 4.801.7!’H acres, under the supervision and with the aid of Hie Soldier Solillenient Board When one considers that Ca-

nada has under crop a total ol only 50,000.01 X.) acres, ilie magnitude of the soldier movement to the land can ho appi'ccialed. The Ottawa Government loaned returned soldiers a (anal 01 S(i.:t7l,7dU.tS dollars lor the purchasi •land, slock, equipment amt s<> birth.

This loae. was i listrihnu-d iinioll;j: 1P,77i returned soldiers wlm v.anled to 1a he up farming;, and laid not Hie initial cajiital to .start. Including those u ho not teqnne linaneial assistance, the Soldier Setllemeiih Board has helped on to rhi•

uf -IAOtH uu.m of o' 1 ;i;i] who niade- applieat.ion. Ul. Hicm: hinmeially aided, only t!UD have iadeii and 1 s(• i■ 11 sold out to date- in the eases uf the SPU dosed out, the divestment ci Ihe Board was 70 vi ) iO!h/i> dollai,-, ■ d rhe acuta! rev-■ ii'ts_on the re-sale o: Ihe various properties were t.ll ,- ;!;g, dollars, Tim Canadian Covern-

meiiL has • J ;iv»'n a splendid opportunity to tier ns timed. soldiers w iio want to ('inliark in agriculture, and in so doing jeas ntado a pood. investment, when

the- ultimate return to the country as ntlieers of the Soldier Set ilouicn 1 Hoard closely examined ap-

plicant.-, for aid. If a nutu laid not sufficient experience to insure an even. Invade tor success as a farmer, hey was put in training at one of the braining stations, of winch the Board at one (inie operated ..seven. He worked thorn rne.hr export tutelage until ho was declared lit io undertake the operation of n farm of hi.s own. Mon were granted loans up to 7500 dollars. I ho, money was repayable m five vou's at 5 per cent., if borrowed for the purchase of equipment, and in 25 years at 5 per cent, if borrowed for tho purchase, of land. The returned sen- ■ uiors who went on the land under this scheme bought a tobil of 2,153,184 acres of land. Tho rest settled on soldier plant land. Tim men who bought farms were, carefully ]iroiected from Veal estate “sharks” and avaricious private owners. When the soldier bad mn.de the nest bargain of width he was capable, an ~'noia! of the Board took a band m ike proceeding, and placed a pnee ar.eerdiug io the value of the farm deemed. The owner could meet tins price or pass up the. opportunity to sell. There was'’ no bargaining with the Board officials. In this way the Board cid a total of 3.632,421.36 dollars from th,. total sum of the prices given bv applicants as the lowest a., which (he. vendors would sell. During this year it is estimated that, an area aggregating half a million acres uf hitherto unbroken laud lias been ploughed and put under crop by returned soldiers who might otherwise now be complicating the unemployment situation, which is acute in Canada. Hie files of the Soldier Settlement Board headquarters in Ottawa, arc filled with stories of courageous eliort made by many returned men who went into the wilderness to hew out a homo Bn Ihemselves with the assistance of the Government. Homesteading ia far iilaces is no more of a joico to-day than it was fifty years ago, but uianv of tin. men have done wonders. _ In met, it is marvellous ilovelopoicnt. in agricult lire the farms have berm brought to in some of these outlaiididi disiricis "far from the madding crowd.” The men hav, ; not moaopolis,.,l the opportunity to endure hardship for the sake of winning homes, there ar ( . stories of the. widows of Canadian soldiers who have gone, on to Hie land with their small children, and, financially aided by the. Board have made iiniucs for themselves and their little , )U cs and in so doing contributed productive farms to the .Dominion instead of becoming public charges. -the work cf aiding returned soldiery to V,.,i footing on the land for wlncn thev fought makes a strong -Amy, adorning a bright page in the history of Canada, ami has much impressed Ui c , Doited Stales.—Press.