RETURNED SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16214, 27 April 1916, Page 8

RETURNED SOLDIERS.

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE- I SETTLEMENT ON THE LAND. ] fBT. TELEGRAM— ASSOCIATION.] i] Wellington, Wednesday. At the opening of the Soldiers' Hostel to-day, Mr. Massey spoke of what the ' Government were doing for returned sol- l diers. The number of men who had been dealt with by the Returned Soldiers* De- y partment was 1934. Of these 940 had * re-enlisted or returned to work, 614 had d notified that they required no assistance, ■ and 366 had been placed by the . Department, Government positions being j found for 140. Where the Government had fl a vacant position that could be filled by a returned soldier he got preference. fl (Hear, hear.) Most municipal councils also g gave preference, and work had been found n for 53 by them, while 173 soldiers had gono to private employment. Up to the present tho Lands Department had set j apart 500,000 acres for the settlement of * returned soldiers. (Hear, hear.) But of j this area 6199 acres already had been j formally claimed. 1 Mr. Massey went on to detail how sol- {j diers got preference under the ballot sys- i tern, and exactly where the blocks of laud for soldiers were. The first ballot for soldiers was fixed for May 10 for land in the Hawke's Bay district. There were 28 ( sections and 24 good dairy farms, com- j prising 2696 acres. There were four dairy farms of 183 acres in Marlborough- There j wero 13 small farms near Blenheim to be balloted for in June, of 523 acres each. , In Southland there were eight good dairy j farms to be disposed of in May, of 839 acres. In the Auckland district there were i five farms of 648 acres. There were also ] 27 sections at JCohero, comprising 2131 , acres, and eleven sections at Cambridge, containing 568 acres. The latter formed the Reynolds Settlement, for which £20 an aero had been paid. There were 31 sections in the Hawke's Bay district, ten , in the Wellington district, five in Nelson, and fourteen in Otagr. Military settle- ; ment was, of course, largely a matter for ' experiment, but it was hoped that more ; success would bo achieved than had been ; the case in the past in this direction.