SETTLEMENT OF SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16590, 13 July 1917, Page 4

SETTLEMENT OF SOLDIERS.

The Executive of the Auckland Farmers Union should have every encouragement in its laudable scheme for facilitating the settlement of soldiers in a practical and systematic manner. As Mr. Ross accurately stated, the future prosperity of New Zealand depends upon our being able to settle upon the land more men and women than we have done in the past. Our opportunity will come when the war is over if we train, as is. suggested, the inexperienced men who will want to go on the land and who, if untrained, will not have a fair chance of success as farmers. If we have not learned during the past

momentous years something of the value of practical organisation we shall never learn it. New Zealand will have thousands of willing, eager, and industrious settlers she has millions of idle acres of good land; she should be able to train her would-be settlers so .hat they will make competent and intelligent farmers, and to open and make accessible her idle acres. It is not possible to do all this at once, but complete preparations should be made as quickly as possible so that the community may not be caught at a grave disadvantage and heavy loss incurred through unpreparedness. We have the land; we shall have the men we must build railways where necessary, as on the East Coast, and should decide upon an effective agricultural training system. As a practical farmer Mr. Massey will have realised the situation and may be confidently expected to give a sympathetic hearing to the Farmers Union deputation which will place its scheme before him.