SOLDIER FARMERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3419, 26 September 1919, Page 15

SOLDIER FARMERS

DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, September 23. The case ot the soldier f&nnera who soxd their lands on enlistment, and who found on their return to tnis country.that they cannot buy,thoso farms back again except at a heavy" advance in price, was mentioned by Sir Joseph Ward in the House to-aay. Sir Joseph Ward said ho had received several letters from returned soldiers on this matter. In some" cases the men had found on their return that their land had gone up £2O per acre in pnee in their absence. He asked the Prime Minister whether he did not consider it a fair thing that Parliament should pass legislation giving the Government power to resume these farms compuisorily, giving the present owners compensation for the improvements they had made, possibly allowing them 5 pe- cant extra. He thought that little consideration should be shown to men who were holding on to lands bougnt from soldiers who had to sell their farms for tue> solo purpose of going to light. Some of them had had to sell at a loss. Drastic leg.slation should be passed now to take back this land for the original owners of it. No one had a right to make a profit out oi men who went to fight for their country. He would support any legislation introduced by the Prime Minister for the purpose of restoring to tho returned soldiers the land they had, sold in order to go to fight, and he felt sure that the country would endorse any action in this connection that might be taken by Parliament. He had a letter from a man who had a wife and sister dependent on him. Now the- soldier had come back, and he could not get the farm a«-ain except at an increase of £2O per acre. He had also three letters from soldiers who complained bitterly of their position. , , Mr Massey said the matter had already been under consideration, and he had taken th-3 opinion of tho Solicitor-general on the question. The question was somewhat difficult It was entirely new, and there were no precedents as a guide. He quite agreed with the Leader of the Opposition that the Government and the House should see that nothing was done to wrong the men who had gone to the front to fight. Dr Thaoker .mentioned the case of the wife of .a soldier 'who had practically been evicted from the farm in the absence of her husband at the war. He supported the demand of the Leader of the Opposition that these soldiers should be reinstated on their farms, which they had had to abandon owing to the exigencies of the war. Owing to the war tho lar.ds of the dominion had been enhanced in value by from £5 to £25 an acre, and if there were any people who had a right to profit by this increase they should be the former owners of the land—the soldiers who had gone to fight for it. Mr Young quoted the case of a soldier who, after two years' absence, was unable to secure possession of his house. The home had been let during tho absence of the soldier owner to a man who was drawn in the ballot subsequently and who was in camp on tho date of the armistice. Th : s tenant was technically a returned soldier, although he had never been out of the country, and he was therefore protected from eviction. Ho had refused to give up the house, and the returned owner was compelled to livo with his family in lodgings. Sir Joseph Ward emoted the case of a returned soldier who had sold his farm, on which he had supported his widowed mother and youn<r sister prior to leaving for tho front. This man had returned, and wanted to tret on tho land again, but his farm had rccentlv been sold at an advance of £SOO or £6OO on what was paid for it._ Mr Maww • T have received similar letters from soldiers. A i\Tpmi-r— • What about tho man who sold his business? Sir Joseph Ward said the chief trouble wa3 with regard to land, but he saw no reason why a returned man should not be entitled to have his business back. The Hon. J. B. Hine: What would vou Bo with tho man who pocfcetoJ the £500?

Sir Joseph Ward: I would try to get it out of him.

The Hon. J. A. Hanan said that the man who had sold a farm could not be placed in a special position. All sorts of men had made sacrifices, and wore entitled to assistance. The man who wanted land, the man who had sold a business, and the man who had sold a home must be considered as well as the man who had sold a farm. He suggested that the dominion needed some system of taxation to prevent enormous increments of land valuo being pocketed by the fortunate few. The Hon. Mr Guthrie (Minister of Lands) said that returned soldiers were being given preference in the settlement of all the available Crown and settlement land. The Government had made provision during the war for tho properties of soldiers; to be managed on their behalf bv trustees, but the system had not worked well in all cases, and many men in the later stage's of the war had preferred to sell their farms when they were called into the forces. In the cases o/ soldiers leasing Crown lands rent* and improvements had been protected, and it had been the policy of the Government to prevent anv dependents of a soldier from being dispossessed of Crown land. CANTERBURY GRAIN AND PRODUCE P/SARKETS. CIIEIST'CHURCH, September 19. Doaling in grain in the local markets is still very quiet, and little business is being done- in either wheat or oai.s. Prices have altered very little for any lines, but there is a fairly firm tone all round The potato market seems rather Unsettled, and tho allegations that growers are holding back fairly large supplies are not credited by a number of merchants, who admit, however, that it is extremely difficult to form an accurate idea of what ie actually held on a great many small farms. The price, offered to farmers ranges from £9 to £9 103, but few holders seem anxious to accept even the latter price. A number of the smaller growers handy to the city find it profitable to dispose of their potatoes in small lotß in the fruit markets, where prices range from 17a to 22a par bag. Tho grass seed market has firmed a little, and values in many lines have hardened. September 23. The local grain market is still exceedingly quiet, and very lit lie business of any kind is reported. The trade in grass seeds and clovers has brightened up a good deal, however, and the values of the different lines have firmed distinctly. There is also a fair inquiry for. Blue Imperial peas. Some export has been done hi this line recently, and they are worth from lis to lis 6d. The trade in onions is practically at an end now, and the few parcels of good-condi-tioned sorts offering are worth £ls. Potatoes in small lines are offering a little more freely now from the country, and merchants are offering about £9 per ton. Current quotations are as follow: Wheat.—Milling wheat, Government price. South Island, Gs B£d, f.0.b.; North Island, 4d extra. Oats. —Seed Algerians, 4s 3d to 4s sd; feed Algerians, 4s; milling Gartens, 4s to 4s -Id; B Gortons, 3s lid to 4s lj-d at country stations; ordinary seed Duns, 4s to 4s sd"; Danish, good quality, 3s 9d to 4s. Barley.—Malting, 6s 9d to' 7s. The. quotation is nominal. Flour.—-£ls nor ton; 1001 b bags, £ls 10s; 50;b bags, £l6; 251 b bags, £l6 ss. Bran.—. Shipping, £5 10s; local, £5 15s per ton. Pollard.—£7 lCs per ton. Oatmeal.—2slb bags, £2B per ton; 7ib bags, £32 per ton. Oatshoaf Chaff.—Bright heavy, £5 5s to £5 12s 6d. Cocksfoot. —Undressed, IOJd to lid; machine dressed, is 4d Ryegrass—Perennial, 4s 6d to ss; Italian, 4s 3d to 4s 6d. Clover.—White, la Id to Is 6d; red, Is 4d to Is Bd. Peas.—Partridge, 7s 6d to 7s 9d; White, 7s 3d to 7s 6d; Blue Prussians, 10s to lis; Imperial, 93 to 10s. Linseed.—£26. Potatoes.—£9 15s to £lO, at country stations. Onions. —On trucks, £l4. Scotch Tares.-—los to lis. The offerings of grain and produce, of any description in Ashburton are small and there is but little in farmers' hands.

Wheat.—lnquiries are still being received from millers for limited quantities, but quality must be good, and second quality samples are refused. Whole fowl wheat is not in such good demand as was the case about a fortnight ago, am? the then ruling rates are not obtainable.

Oats. —Tho coastal trade is now practically being supplied from merchants' stocks in store at the various centres. For any lines offering by growers the price asked is in most cases in excess of that at which merchants can work now business. The thrashing returns show an increase of over one million bushels above last year's crop, audi with only a small quantity exported, these in tho trade consider the. present prices are not warranted. Tho market is firm and values may be quoSed at 3a 9d to 3s lOd for B <*rade, 3s lid to 4s for A, and 4s Id to 4s 2d for milling and seecS lines. Algerians 3s 6d to 3s 8d for feed, 4a for seed lines. Duns 3s 9d to 3s lOd for ordinary feed, prime dark coloured 4s, all quotations on trucks at s'ations. Chaff.—The demand is verv slack and tho price now generally being offered by merchants is from £5 5s to £5 10b on {.rucks, for good, heawy, bright quality.