SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11217, 24 May 1922, Page 7

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT

STATE’S OPERATIONS OVER £20,000,000 ALREADY ADVANCED. SOME INTERESTING I MG I RES. Up to tlie close of the financial year (March 31st). the Government has expended or authorised advances to soldiers under the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act, 1917. to the amount of £20,426,831: £10.759,600 has been actually paid over. The advances towards the purchase of private, or native laud, numbering 4060. account for an expenditure of £6.724,149. Towards the purchase of Crown leaseholds the authorisations number 1105, and the expenditure £1,618,939. Advances to discharge mortgages, to enable soldiers to acquire private lands were made to 550 applicants, the total invohed being t443,C07. The advances for the purchase of stock and improvements authorised, accounted for a further expenditure on behalf of 9624 applicant?, amounting to £3,903,463. Towards the purchase or erection of town dwellings advances were made to the extent of £7,747,318, the authorisations numbering 10,708. The average advance towards the purchase of private or native land amounted to £1656; for the purchase of stock and for improvements on settlement land to £630, and on private lands to £261. Towards the purchase or erection of town dwellings the average advance was £724. REPAYMENTS “EXTREMELY SATISFACTORY.”

The repayments, on the whole, have been of an. extremely satisfactory character, as, on March 31st last, £1,477,151 had boon repaid out of total advances actually paid over amounting to £19,759,606. As a result of the drop in values of our primary products, the Lands Department has, "however, found it necessary to give Telief to a number of soldier settlers by postponing the due date for the payment of rent and interest. Up to March 31st the total postponed was £216,002, hut of that sum £25,697 had been repaid, those to whom relief had been granted showing, generally speaking, every disposition to meet their obligations to tho State. The number of men who were assisted by the department to settle on rural land totalled 9591. Of these 2114 were placed on settlement land, with an average holding of 2831 acres, and 1762 on Crown land, the total area thus settled being 1.518,739 acres, giving an average of 862 acres per settler. The private land acquired for soldier settlement purposes aggregated 1,279,235 acres, upon which 5715 returned men were settled, with an average holding of 223 acres. LOSSES BY' THE DEPARTMENT. The actual losses sustained by the department through forfeitures, and foreclosures up to March 31st are comparatively small, considering the large amount? involved in the soldier settlement business. The loss on account of principal and interest merely amounts to £7984. Rebates have, however, been granted on farms to 'the amount of £30,257, and on dwellings to £30,483, making a total of £66,740. Rents remitted on account of Crown and settlement lands amounted to £18,500,' and on discharged soldiers’ settlement account, foj- interest and instalments, to £1271. The arrears of rent in. respect of Crown and settlement lands amounted to £178,060 and on discharged soldiers’ settlement account to £348,875, interest being in arreax on current account to the amount of £72,951 and instalments to £275,924, of which £250,858 was in respect or instalments on farms and £25,066 on dwellings. The capitalisations in respect- of rent and interest totalled £9076, and the forfeitures, numbering 305, in respect of leasehold of Crown and settlement land, involved a loss of £17,986 in rent, and the abandonment bv returned men of 68,53 S acres. Foreclosures were made in respect of 29 farms and 25 houses. STILL AVAILABLE. On Mitrch 31st there were still some 138 holdings of sections and areas, specially proclaimed as available for selection" by discharged soldiers only, in all land districts, with a total area of 27,962 acres. Of these holdings, 67 were available in North Auckland, 21 in Auckland, 7 in Hawke’a Bay, 5 in Taranaki, 7 in "Wellington, 6 in Marlborough, 5 in Canterbury, 15 in Otago, and 5 in Southland. In addition to the area comprised in these holdings, some 407,795 acres are at present open for general application in the several land districts, over which discharged .soldiers have preference in every case, should they desire to make application for these lands. Under the Lands for Settlement Act, 308 settlements, divided into 2152 holdings, and a total area of 480,915 acres, and purchased at a cost of £5,816,480, are occupied by returned men, who were placed on the land at an average cost, including advances for stock and improvements, of £3333. THE REPATRIATION DEPARTMENT. Equally fine work has been accomplished by the Repatriation Department which, up to March 20th, had placed in employment 26,854 men, and had helped 6087 discharged men into business by advancing them £1,125,713, by way of loans, besides advancing £667,481 to 14,134 other returned soldiers for the purchase of tools, etc. On the training and sustenance side 7417 men had been helped at a total cost of £382,022; 3012 had received transportation expenses to the amount ot £7204, and 1118 had been granted unemployment sustenance to the amount of £5536, the total number of men thus assisted being 58,622, at a cost to the department of £2,197.956.