LAND FOR SOLDIERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17426, 21 September 1918, Page 8

LAND FOR SOLDIERS

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. HINT TO LARGE LANDHOLDERS. (Pes United Phksb Association.) GISBORNE, September 20. Speaking to a deputation urg.ny .soldiers' settlement in this district, tho lion. W. D. S. Mac Donald said bo had taken out a list of about 150 iurmors with property ex- i tending iroin Majigata to East Cape, own- 4 ing bom 300 acres up to 'MXX) itcres. lio . was strongly of opinion that these nion ! oould hand over a portion of thoir land pro rata at a. reasonable price, and that it was not too much to expect of them. Ho hoped local landowners would t-ako into consideration tho fact (and 110 was not ono given to making threats} that there was a demand for land, and that it would bo well for owners of largo areas of land to hand over certain portions for this purpose. When there were largo numbers of men anxious to get on the land some provision had to bo made, and he knew there were largo areas held by individuals to whom it would bo 110 difficulty to offer some of it to tho Government. If they did not, tho Government oould not be bLam-ad if something was done for the people. 1 Referring to tho Native land purchase operations, the Minister eaid that all the land purehassd had been earmarked for soldiers' settlement, and he did not think thero would bo any difficulty in consolidating. The Hon. Mr Ngata had been working at consolidation. He (tho speaker) did not think it would be necessary to wait until other purchases were completed to get some of this land opened. Tho original idea had been that the land should bs held until tlx© return of men to New Zealand. Thero -were now over 20,000 men returned, and he did not think settlement should be delayed much longer. There were not, however, men for roadimr and surveying. Apart from this, everything was now so expensive. They had over 260,000 acres in the Urewera Country, and some of it was really good land; and when a few more purchases had been completed he thought they would bo able to get on with it. It was absolute nonsense for some to suggest that every returned soldier should go qh the land. It would be all very well for people to say, in the event of disaster, that the Government gave too much for the land. The Government was right in taking reasonable precautions.