PROVIDING FOR RETURNED TROOPERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12471, 30 September 1902, Page 3

PROVIDING FOR RETURNED TROOPERS.

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER OF LANDS. (From Otjk ,Own Cokbestondent.) WELLINGTON, September 29. A deputation of returned officers and nontoommissioned officers, headed by Lieutenant Lomgan and Captain. Brown, ( was introduced to the Hon. Mr Duncan, Minister of Lands, by Mr J. H. Witheford, member for Auckland, this morning. Mr Witheford said the deputation represented some 40 or 50 officers ami men who have beoD offered special terms by the Imperial Government to settle on lands in the Transvaal and Orange Colonies. These men ha,ve only a. month within which to decide whether they would accept the terms offered or not. They had been invited to take their wives and children with them, if they were married, to South Africa, without any expense whatever to themselves. They would' prefer, 'however, to remain in the- colony if inducements could be offered to them. They desired to know whether the Government could giv them, land to settle down upon in this colony. Lieutenant Lomgan: I have a aocumenit were which will givo you an idea of what ■we have been, offered by the Imperial Government. In this they say we can ohoose our own colony and obtain land ■wherever we desire for ourselves. Men with, say, £500 will be given a subsidy of pound for pound, and the same will apply with retrard to stock and improvement*. Seed ■will be given free for the first two years, and steam ploughs will be at our disposal, free, also for two years. The Government ■will'import all fanning implements that will be required and sell them to us at cost price, while ft market for our produce will be guaranteed to us for five years, \etennary services will also be provided free, and also harness, saddlery, arms, and rations and tents free for one year. Until such time as the'railway goes through the covmtry, steam haulage and transport to the railway •will be- found free of cost. All that, the Imperial Government ask in return is that the settlers shall be capable of performing the work required of them. These are the terms that the Imperial Government nave offered us to settle over there. Mr Witheford: Now.will you explain what yor want? ' Lieutenant Lorrigsnv: We want to know ■whether the < Government are prepared to give us an area of first class land to settle upon in this colony. We do not want the land under the terms offered by the Imperial Government exactly, but we want first class land set «tside under the Special. Settlement Aot without delay. We want cp know the apnroximate arta and the amount to be given to each appbeant, and upon what terms. Wo consider that without asking for any special legislation, under the existing act for special settlements land, can at once be placed at your disposal, and all that the men desire is to be able to start at once. We want to know what facilities will be offered to view the land; ■whether you are prepared to enlarge the area offered under the Speoial Settlement Act of 1892; whether you will allow a special clause to "be inserted to enable the selectors to obtain a freehold; and whether you will extend the time for the,payment of rent from two to seven or ten years. ? Captain Brown: Up" to within a niontas time we can get back' to South' Africa at an indulgence rate, which will mean a eaving of £60; and those of us who are married can take our wives and children ■with iis, and those who are not married can take their brothers, so long as they are prepared to be bona. fide settlers m South Africa. When we arrive there with our stock, implements, or whatever we may take, they willsend us risjht. on to the la_nd, wherever it may- be, free of cost.- We want to settle in our own country of JNew Zealand if we can, but if not we shall have to go back as eoon as possible. Captain Heaton Rhodes: I do hope the Government will take this matter into consideration, and, if possible, formulate eome special scheme of settlement for these returned officers and men before the end of the session. I. know that they will be able to get special terms in South Africa, because I took the trouble to inquire when I was in Bloemfontein and other places, and found that if any person tfants land to farm special facilities will be ifforded him to settle in any particular part. They are very anxious over there to obtain settlement, and they wili be given free transport to visit the land. I was for some time in the Eastern District, at Ladybrandt, and other parts, and learned that they wanted settlers tUere, and especially of the class ot colonials that were sent to South Africa, because they think they would be suitable settlors to ewamp the- Dutch vote, if necessary. That is one of the mam factors, I believe. Their anxiety is to get a majority when it comes to the government of the country. I do not think there will be any ■military restrictions imposed. I have seen some reference to that, but I think it would only be necessary in the case of an outbreak that they would be allowed to serve. They will b* allowed arms, but I think the natives have learned a lesson during the late war. Capain Brown: I asked one of the military authorities that question, and he said he 'did not think there would be any necessity for that. . Captain Rhodes: The whole country Iβ now controlled by the S.A.C. The Hon. Mr Duncan: This is rather a large order, and to give a reply at such short notice would be impossible. There is eno thing that must be considered. If we give facilities to the officers to settle here we would be required to give similar facilities to all the troopers that went to South Africa, and that would be a large order to supply. At the least, I suppose there would be pretty well 6000 officers *nd men who would require consideration. Mr Wibheford. There are nob more than 200 altogether. I have received applications from about 80 myself. Mr Duncan: At present we do not know how many might apply under the terms that might be offered. But supposing there were men who had a little capital, they would require to be considered, and at ehort notice it would be impossible to give a, .direct reply, because I would require to consult my colleagues in the matter. It would take some time if we replied in the affirmative, because we have the country to set apart for this purpose first, and some arrangement would have to be made so that it could be viewed to see if the land was unsuitable. That would take a little time, and I am sure we would have no chance of doing that until after the session. 1 may tell you, however, that my sympathies are with the men who went to South Africa, and I would do all I possibly could to meet their desiree. I will consult my colleagues, who I know also sympathise with the men who went away, and are desirous of doing something for them. But it is impossible for me to say that we could give a reply and have all that is necessary to be done in a month. ' Mr Wifcheford: How many officers are there? About a couple of dozen? Captain Brown: Yes. Mr Witheford: The total number of applications I have received from the troopers number about 80. Roughly, that would be about 100. Could they get a special settlement formed for that number? Hon. Mr Duncan: We have no. special settlements that I know of. Captain Brown: There is a block of 57,000 acres in the Wanganui district. Hon. Mr Duncan: You might cut a block out, but that would take time. Lieutenant Lorrigan: But if you set apart that block for special settlement the surveyors could go to work, and we need not go on immediately. Hon. Mr Duncan: I believe the surveyors ere already on that block. Lieutenant Lorrigan: There is a large block adjoining called the Wanganui Block. Hon. .Mr Duncan: But that would be under the Maori Council's jurisdiction. Lieutenant Lorrigan: Thnn there is another block of land south of Kawhia. Hon. Mr Duncan: Yes: that should be ready in a few months. There are 40,000 acres that will be ready presently, but the main difficulty will l>e the roading. Lieutenant Lorrigan: There are about a dozen or more of us, and we should like to have a piece of land offered. We have passes to go back to South Africa, but in a month's time they expire, and we do net want to lose the opportunity.

Hon. Mr Duncan. You may have a reply next week. No doubt we shall get information about the locality of the b'ocki;, and will let you know. Mr Witheford: It is an entirely different thing to provide for 70 or 80 men who have sent me written applications than to pro; vide for 6000, who have made no application. These officers represent-at the outside only some 40 or 50. I have, to thank you, Mr Duncan, for your courtesy in' receiving- the deputation, and I trust you will set to work and do your best to obtain the land and make it available for thoeo who have applied for it. Hon. Mr Duncan: You "have my entire sympathy. We all know what yo\i have done in South Africa, and I think the Government will do what it can to meet your wiehea.