LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16254, 13 June 1916, Page 8

LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

OFFER FROM QUEENSLAND. i i MILLION ACRES FOR DISPOSAL. London, June 3. The Queensland Premier, Mr. Ryan, was entertained by the Colonial Institute at luncheon at the Hotel Cecil to-day. Among those present were Sir Thomas ' Mackenzie, Mr. F. J. Young, Agent- ' General for South Australia, Sir William McGregor, ex-Governor of Queensland, Admiral Sir E. R. Fremantle, Sir Thomas Robinson, Agent-General for Queensland, General Sir Edward Hutton presided. The chairman read a telegram stating , that Queensland had decided to give , 1,000,000 acres of land for the settlement of soldiers, conditionally on the State being able to borrow the necessary money 1 and select the settlers. In response to the toast of his health, Mr. Ryan said that the Australian Labour i Party had struck the right note, and Mr. -, Hughes's speeches had reverberated throughout the kingdom and the Empire. . Referring to the question of land settle- , ment, he remarked that it was the most , important of the post-war problems, and Australia was as willing to help to solve it as she had been to fight for the Empire. If the Imperial Government would provide the money to build railways to open up , the country, it would be an advantageous [ investment. He suggested that the sol- , diers should be maintained at the public expense until provision could be made for , their settlement on the land. He also , hoped that a scheme would be devised to provide them with sufficient capital for a start, and said it would be a good Em- , pire investment. [ The announcement has created much interest. A large number of men who i have already been discharged from the [ army with slight defects, but are physi- { colly fit, are applying for particulars at . the Commonwealth offices. Several French- . men have also been attracted to the offices • of the Commonwealth, and they have . been told of the chances which Australia offers. PARIS CONFERENCE. PUBLIC INTEREST AROUSED. , TRIBUTE TO MR. HUGHES. i , London, June 7. i In a leading article on the Paris ConI ference the Times newspaper says that , the British delegates Mr. Bonar Law, , Mr. Hughes, and probably Mr. Harcourt— . are bound to play an important part, owing to the Empire's position as the i greatest economic unit represented. While ( the Government's attitude is still not , clear, there is a more definite and more decided movement of public opinion. |. prompted by Mr. Hughes's courageous , utterances, which were enthusiastically received in the chief industrial and com- . mercial centres. Manchester has finally answered the ( question whether the fiscal policy can be ( changed. Manchester's views against a } return to pre-war conditions are also sub- . jects for the consideration of the confer- , ence. It is unmistakably clear that Bri- [ tish opinion supports the conference, and } expects that the delegates will not com- > mit the Empire to a negative policy. [ REPLACING YOUNG MEN. WAR OFFICE SCHEME. London, June 3. The War Office extended an invitation to 1000 attested married men, over the age of 35, to take positions to replace younger men in war-work at home. The result was that thousands of men arrived in . Whitehall this morning at six o'clock, i and formed a long queue. The vacancies i were quickly filled up. ; WHITSUNTIDE LABOUR. F PATRIOTIC WORKERS. ' London, June 3. I Mr. Lloyd George, Minister for Muni- • tions, and other Ministers who appealed > to trades unionists to give up their Whitsuntide holidays this year, left the matter • entirely in the hands of the men's officials, deciding not to press the appeal. A letter from the executive of the Boilermakers' Society and the Iron and Steel Shipbuilders' Society to their branches and officials stated that the Ministers had so impressed trade union representatives with the urgency of military needs that a resolution to defer fiie holidays was passed unanimously. I ALIEN DENIED ENTRY. . STOCK EXCHANGE ACTION. ( London, June 3. . Judge Eastbury to-day dismissed the appeal of a naturalised German named , Nathaniel Cassels, who made an applica- | tion to compel the committee of the Loni don Stock Exchange to state the grounds for refusing to enrol him as a member. MACEDONIAN CAMPAIGN. » FRENCH OCCUPY VILLAGE. ■, London, June 3. , Athens messages state that the Bul- , garians and Germans advanced yesterday , south of Victrina, establishing outposts. There was fighting between French and German outposts at the rear of Hadii Beylik. A message from Salonika states that French troops have occupied the Greek village of Poroi, north-east of Lake Doiran and near to the Bulgarian frontier. . FRENCH AIRMAN'S ESCAPE London, June 3. ' A message from Paris states that when ' M. Gilbert, the French aviator, successfully escaped over the Swiss frontier he ' was disguised as a long-bearded old man. He dashed past the frontier guards to an ■ inn, where his friends were waiting for - him.. Towards the end of last year Gilbert escaped from internment in Switzerland, i and made his way to Paris. Upon his arrival in France, however, he was or- \ dered by the Minister for War to return to Switzerland. The famous airman had ' posted a letter to the Swiss authorities withdrawing his parole, but the letter did not reach them until he had commenced the escape. Now, apparently, ha has made his escape under legitimate conditions.