SOLDIERS AND THE LAND.

North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 14025, 17 January 1918, Page 8

SOLDIERS AND THE LAND.

——, . WHAT HAS.BEEN DONE. J PBIME\MKISTKH;S STATEMENT. ■ -The Prime Minister., the Et. Hon. W. F.Massey, lakes a. very 'boon interest iir the problem of settling returned 'soldiers on the land,.and; speaking to a representative of the Press on Il'nes-' day night, he gave spine interesting details of what had been done hi this direction. He stated that up to the ■ . end of the year.,.lol soldiers had bceui. settled-under the Discharged Soldiers"'!. Acts, and, under all Acts, a total otV. '. 599 up to December 31st. Advances had been made for improvements and stocking totalling £101.20*. \ The sections of laud available'in the South Island were as follows: Area Number. . in acres. Nelson ... 33 13,289 AVcstland . .13 6.230 Marlborough . 14 3,522 Canterbury ,30 '3,692 " Ilomebrook" .15 ' 1,130 " Otago ... .30 , 10.349 Southland . . . 13, 944Totals . . .. MS - 39,156 I To this must now be added Ettriek and Gladbrook, with an extra, 7115 acres,'making a grand total of 46,271 acres.' There were also 173 sections in the South Island open for selection by the general public, totalling 34,261. acres. The areas of land formally proclaimed in both the North and South Islands were as follows: i .1 Acres. | Auckland 73.555 ' Hawke's Bay .... 76,066 I Taranaki ...... 9,463 -Wellington ' 72,999 A'olson' ..'.... 10.135 Marlborough ...... 8,682 West la ml , .'..., 8,610 Canterbury (>:-J.o-17 °tago ~. .i.| ( kj!) j Southland , *.. . 0,1,31 .Totals 379,107 The methods under which the present holders of hind obtained their . holdings was as follows:—Under the Discharged Soldiers/ Settlement Act, 501; Discharged soldiers at ordinary j ballots, 15; by transfer' (including J transfers to wives), 25; members of, Expeditionary force including wives, 58; a total of 599. | In' Canterbury, the settlement laud ' which is at present open for selection by discharged soldiers consists of 10 estates as follows: ■ Area Sections. in Acres. Seaforth ... 7 404 Drayton . . , 1 ]0 Waimate ... 1 „ ;i(i ' ' Tr,ipp .... 1 H'7 Hornby . . . ] .?, (,'iii-klewooil . . 5 (ISO 1-w um ...(!■ 17;; ■Scatield . .' . I ;;n4 '■ Craigmore . . 7 J Sip. | In addition, the Jfomehrook Estate I of 1130 acres (15 s<?i-tioi\s) had been ; pureliased. and was available in ron- j nectioii with the welfare of returned \ soldiers. . |