SOLDIERS ON THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17708, 17 February 1921, Page 8

SOLDIERS ON THE LAND.

THE DEPARTMENT'S W6rK. REVIEW BY THE MINISTER. A REPLY TO CRITICISM. [BT TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] MASTERTON, Wednesday. Speaking at a function tendered to judges and visitors by the Masterton A. and P. Association, the Hon. ~D. H. Guthrie. Minister for Lands, said the Repatriation Department had the names of 78,000 men on its books. Of this number 8661 had been placed on the land. They were doing what the people of the Dominion had instructed the Government to do. Any Minister who tried to please everybody never got anywhere. After two years they had got down to a solid policy, with every district assisting to carry it out. He wished to thank the Wairarapa people for the help and advice given. He would not deny that some mistakes had been made, but they would not be repeated. The mistakes were inadvertent. Some land had been purchased that would not be purchased to-day. Individual farmers made mistakes in purchasing land. Who did not? When the history of land settlement was written, it would be found that the number of mistakes was not as large as some pessimists would have them believe. Some of the settlers were not the success anticipated. Many of these men had been placed on land on the recommendation of doctors—men who needed outside work to build them up. In the early stages it was necessary to buy improved land. It would have been criminal to place men returned through sickness and other causes.on unimproved land. The Government had kept thousands of acres of undeveloped land for soldiers, but they refused to take it upt The Government's system was that approved by the people. In every case of purchase the greatest care had been exercised. In some instances the Government had saved men from £10 to £30 an acre on the prices the men were anxious to pasr private individuals for their land. The Minister said his department had been severely criticised for certain purchases of land for soldier settlement. He admitted that one Wairarapa purchase had not turned out as successful as expected, lhe particular land was purchased at £8 r,%r£ n L acre- Ifc was then carrying over (W0 sheep, besides cattle and horsesover one sheep to the acre. What farmer would say that land carrying over a sheep to the acre was not worth £8 5s an acre? ine property for certain reasons since being subdivided was carrying only 6000 sheep. This was partly due to the inexperience of the settlers. The sections may have been too small, but there was evidence that the place had gone back. He had recently sent a commissioner to inspect the property. This officer reported that he would not have known the land again. The mistake was that the carrying capacity of the land had not been taken into full account.