LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16550, 28 May 1917, Page 7

LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

GOVERNMENT'S POLICY. / :.;• MINISTER'S STATEMENT. - " [B? TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] _ • DUNEDIN. Saturday. '"• : The ' Government's policy in regard to EC ttling returned soldiers on the land was ~ ; outlined by Sir James Allen, Acting-Prime ■ v jlinister, at the conference of the Returned - : Soldiers Association. The area of privato land purchased for discharged soldiers' " 1 '.-settlement was 60,852 acres and the area .... 0 f Crown land set aside by proclamation |v' for discharged soldiers was 264,396 acres. • ' Other b'.ocks of private land were now • - >■ under negotiation and other areas of Crown land were being considered for proclama- '■ tion. But the supply had been in excess of the demand. Some 357 returned soldiers had been settled so far and 236 had obtained Government advances to enable them >o do fencing and purchase stock and other improvements, 'there had been practically no complaints either of suitable land not being open for choice or of the ' treatment received by the Government. In respect of advances, the present statutory limit of the Government advance of £500 had been the subject of some comment but obviously there must be some such limit to avoid excessive differentia- - tion. Of the best class of young New Zealanders, a considerable proportion of the men preferred pastoral to dairy land and asked for land which they could improve and so increase the capital value of their holdings. The plans for seriously wounded pensioners included, the provision of fruit farms and poultry farms near railways and towns where men could occupy small areas of first-class land together or separately. Some such areas were already available to supply any demand. Opportunity of tuition would bo provided in such special areas. The Government proposed to provide for the opening of Crown lands for discharged soldiers in districts sparsely settled with really good roads, the expense being far less than that of acquiring and roading private lands. Soldiers would thus have the opportunity of earning wages in road construction while improving their own allotments. The idea that the Government would acquire, subdivide, and road enough land to provide for the return of the main body was erroneous. Apart from the present scarcity of labour, if land was really good and improved, it must be settled soon after acquisition or it would speedily deteriorate. "We have already considerable areas of dairy land, for which there is no present demand; wo have made an endeavour to lease it for grazing at low rentals to prevent it going back. This applies specially to the acquisition of privato estates, which for that reason wo deei™

, u»i«, nmui i\ji Him, reason we desire to acquire as the demand arises and not to keep until the end of the war." Opening Up Crown Lands. "With regard to Crown land, we desire to sanction expenditure when 'We have foldiers to do the work instead of spend- . sng the money while labour is short. The .officers of the head office of the Lands (Department and the commissioner of ( Crown Lands have been most diligent in ' the matter of returned soldiers, and have i given every- assistance to soldiers and the j Government. In regard to pastoral runs in , Canterbury and Ota-go, the Government has decided that returned soldiers who might desire to take them up, should have at ' least equal opportunity with the people , left in the Dominion. I therefore directed that runs which have been classified for : i. subdivision, and which in the ordinary course would have been submitted for competition in February, 1918, shall not be so submitted until 1919, and not then < unless the war i« over and the main body i has returned. At present there is no provision enabling the Government to make special advances to soldiers for acquiring ■ for themselves private land and stocking , it. This is under consideration in amendments to be proposed this session." Proceeding, Sir James said that the Returned Soldiers Association had asked Sir Francis Bell for particulars as to the amount paid by the Government for land to be Kept open for settlement, the market value of the land before and after subdivision, and also the cost of land to • returned soldiers. Sir Francis Bell had replied that these questions could only be answered by pointing out that the Government had purchased different classes of land at prices widely differing, according to class, and that they had been bought at market value. Large areas of Crown land were available, for which nothing had been paid. As to cost of ]and to returned soldiers, the amount .(charged was 5 per cent, upon the cost price, plus cost of roading and sub(division. The association had also asked for a return showing the basis upon which the cost to returned soldiers was • fixed and the principles followed deciding the fitness or otherwise of soldier applicants. The answer to the first question was the same as the preceding answer as to the cost of land, while the reply to the second question was that the Land Boards of the various districts determined the fitness of the applicants. In cases "where the question of fitness arose the Land Boards proceeded in ;•' methods dictated by fairness and commonV sense and not in hard and fast lines pre- / scribed by the head office. Acquire Lands as Wanted. .. _ .. .. « i 1 in i

"On the question of land settlement th they could' only proceed step by step," continued Sir James. "The best policy was to acquire land a it was wanted, and he thought the Government would provide land for arty soldiers who wanted it, and who were capable of going on it with a reasonable prospect of success. The question of maintaining businesses was the [ more difficult. The Government had asked the National Efficiency Board to j Meet trustees throughout New Zealand, but the policy has not developed very far. 'lie hoped that the businesses of men going »' away should be temporarily amalgamated with other businesses or kept alive by 0 trustees under the control of the Effici- h ency Board. The question of providing new tl businesses for returned men was even more 1; 'difficult, The Government was willing to Spend money as far as possible, but theso a questions must be considered from a prac- y tical point of view. Technical schools, accountancy schools, and State farms were t open to soldiers, and the Government had hoped to have established before this c a communal fruit land area. He believed t the' Government would adopt a similar c policy in regard to all land. If it was deemed r advisable to secure land, hold it com- c Jnunallv, and let the soldiers get on it and , do initial work, he believed the Govern- ] ment would be inclined to listen to any J suggestion. There did not seem to bo 1 any demand for it at present, and there j Fa's no uf-e starting until there was. — ( NEW PORTFOLIO SUGGESTED. [ EMPLOYMENT OF ALIENS. j iBT telegraph.—press association.] DUNEDIN, Saturday. -j The Returned Soldiers Conference passed ; a resolution urging that a Minister for | Returned Soldiers should be appointed , forthwith to deal with matters generally . -+•* concerning returned men. It was stated that probably a hundred thousand men would return at the close of the war, and would require settling on the land or in some civil capacity, and a special depart ment should be created so that they should rot be left to drift and become a burden on parent's and relations. ■ Discussion took place in regard to the . employment of aliens, and a resolution was passed requesting the Government « ' to conscript all alien labour for State : :: purposes and pay wages on the basis of M ; pay to privates of the Expeditionary .';".. Force.

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