LAND FOE SOLDIERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17486, 2 June 1920, Page 7

LAND FOE SOLDIERS.

3 t THE ASSOCIATION'S SCHEME 5 _ » REDUCING LARGE ESTATES. ! AN ACTIVE POLICY URGED. The problem of securing land for n : turned soldiers ic dealt with at considej ' able length in the fourth annual repoi of the New Zealand Returned Soldier; Association. The report states " The land scheme adopted by the las i annual conference, was substituted at th special conference in October, 1919, by scheme having as its foundation the con; pulsory acquisition of large estates. " At the January meeting of the Dc minion Executive, this land scheme wa reaffirmed, and following a further it commendation, a lands committee was be up. All matters pertaining to land ar reviewed- by them, and their decision paced before the executiyo standing com mittee. In this way, the committe ho'pea to deal quickly and effectively wit the numerous problems placed befor them. "To give the committee an idea as t< the extent of the demand for land through out New Zealand by the returned soldier your headquarters instituted a kindles roll, compiled upon returns furnished b; tho various local associations. The firs' returns were asked for by March 31, 1920 and at- that date the replies, to ham showed.that 430 men desired land. Onh 16 out of the 57 affiliated associations re pliEd as requested. On April 30. 643 mei had been enrolled a being desirous o obtaining land, and only 27 association had replied. It is intended to keep thl roll up to date by adding to it monthb the names sent in by the variois associa tions. "The main problem « to be solved by th< Lands Committee wera: (1) Insufficient of suitable land (2) inflation pf prices o' suitable land; (3) wantage of capital o men in attending land ballots. "The solution arrived at was the. gradua paring down of largo estates of the valu of £100,000 and over, the owners of whic] were to have land acquired cornpulsoril from them until the value was £70,000 If the demands for land were not satisfiei then, a farther paring down, (to £50,000 was to take place, and so on until th demand was satisfied. If this paring-dowi process were carried out, competition ii purchasing land would ]y> reduced, pro ductiyity would bo stimulated, and th' appetite for land would be satisfied. "Two further important points were re commended by the committee:— Tia the principle of communal settle ment (in the form of outside avtiyfty I for T.B. and P.D. soldiers be ap proved, and the Government be asked tc i extend the system at once. (2) Thai Colonel' Mitchell's scheme for settlement by fit men, of bush and native lands be put Into operation at once. "In spite of the numbers on the landless roll, it is believed that about 4CHX men have yet to be settled, and it behoves the Government to act quickly and whole-heartedly in the matter, so th.it the ravenous desire for land-may be satisfied, The wheels of the Land Department move slowly, and it is economically unsound tc have so many men waiting to attain theii object. Doubtless a thoroughly systematised organisation of land settlement would attract many more men, and the productiveness of a district would be increased many fold."