RETURNED SOLDIER PROBLEMS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14714, 20 September 1918, Page 4

RETURNED SOLDIER PROBLEMS.

SETTLEMENT ON THE LAND.^

DEPUTATION TO THE. HON*. W. D. S. MacDONALD.

Problems arising m connection "witbthe repatriation of returning: . soldiers formed tlie subject of a lengthy discussion m the course/of an interview between the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonafd, Minister of Agriculture, ftriaV' l ttf§ : jnembers of the Claims Board this Yxnojwiing. Mr W. G. Sherratt presided, aapidl there were present: Messrs R- M.i B£rrell, G. B. Oman, J. ; Brbadhurst, .F. Gaddum, and F. H.. Bedford, Captain W. Pitt and the Hon. Sir Jas. Carroll.. In extending a*• welcome to the Minister, the chairman said they understood Mi* Mac Donald was really here on holiday- . . . \ Various questions arising.. in connectioti with returned soldiers, including the settlement of men on the land, were placed before tlie Minister by Mr Birrell, m the course of which he emphasised the hardship, which arose m" many cases through the sudden termination of. pensions to men who were still unfitted' to return to their former occupation. He urged that tlie men should be ifyftlanedl m a similar manner ( to that/;^dgftted by insurance companies. In t^imktter of repatriation the local covca^f^^^aa doing its best ,and had arri.v^M^af; . a system, tliat was very satisfacsJ^£~mlr though their scope' was lim^i^Jtli^jr did their best to place men'ii^/^plojfr ment, and on the whohv wcre>,ye:^J.£uocessful, and m this were^m^! -indebted to Mr Gaddum. Referring tr9 l iposib^ian&' telegraphic facilities he.' ,x_?ffed',-!"t_|ej^ should receive special confederation*. Whilst regi-etting that no scne^^^f uMr f ormity had been arrived at by. Pa^o/tic Societies, he was glad to say. Gis'kSi'ne had decided* to make a Btart VtoU-blease a portion of its funds (£iOiOoQ)!iffbr allowances. Their coi^lamtjs^.j.';^'^'' plained, were vei^smalf > : h^djs^dom;had! they been so small. Tliey. 'jftacL £ejsr had a period with such f£w- complaints.. The chairman remarked^hat',7J^b& ;Was largely due to Mr MaoJJpnald'jß'Tep^fi^ sentation at Wellington. I^^V .-'^ ' r^ Mr Bedford said some thie ijtjrror^ell land had been purchased at^Tup^roa and was being held pending completion * of other purchases. He Ud;ged'..r..t3biere was a danger of it going back unless disposed of. . .-. ', .:.:'^j.:: . Captain Pitt said he> ! undersi^3' : the interests had been acquired irrespective of locality, and when, located -it \-\yaa fotijid they were "grid-ironed,'" ,and Juot worth, cutting up until' the adjbiniifg interests were secured. He suggested the Government should exchange coiisolidate its interests. He' .niquusiU as to the "result of the visit of $ae\ Land Puroha*e.ofncei\ , ~A>- ,: The Minister said that \ two owners liad put a price on their properties;, arid the Land Bui-chase officer^ had made : them an offer. Capt. Pitt referred to a block held by absentees. f Mr Bedford expressed approval of the Government's decision not to .acquire ' land at too high a price, declaring ' it^ was not advisable to put men oil v the, land at a price that would only make them slaves for life. - „, . .iJC The Hon. Mr Mac Donald, m replying; expressed appreciation of the comparatively few complaints. There had, he said, been mistakes m -the begiriningj, and difficulties, would arise from; day to day, but the position they had arrived at to-day sfttowed that the Defence Department and Cabinet- were trying to do their best for every possible case. Reak ising that they were asking* men to make the greats ysacrifice m the world, itwas the Government'® duty to make tlungs as easy as posible for the de-. pendents and the. men who returned. Many,, people said the Government "Was" rot doing enough, and he personally knew it watfld be impossible to make, i any_ monetary allowance equal, to the sacrifices men were making. Tlie huges amount of money that was being vspenfc V was not jgoing m the development/ of the country; they were unable to get, any definite information as to tho termination of the war, and so they were compelled, to go cautiously m order that the country should remain financially strong until the end of- the war.' The great thing was to win the war first, *and then all their dreams arid ideais could be i readised as far as possible. He hoped that the time would never -come when they would have to reduce any allowances made, but rather tliat they would he able to increase them. A It would be a suicidal policy, because of 1 agitation, to consent to th© payment of 1 allowances that would afterwards have, to be reduced. ; , T \ e r re • was * great deal of "demand,the Minister went on to say, over, they . land question. That was the most in_v- ; poitant matter locally, and notwifah-. standing the fact there were men who were saying the prices for produce were not high enough, it was because of the existing high prices that land had risen to the high value it stood at to-day. England had purchased produce m Aus- , traha and Canada, ahd it was only fair and, reasonable that New Zealand should i get parity prices with other countries, ■ anct farmers m organising to get still higher prices were only putting up the price of land. Mi* Bedford's remarks . had been on the right lines. The Government could, not put an impossible burden on soldiers that/would make them slaves for all time. In these ab- ; normal times, when prices were so high ltbwasia' serious question whether they were doing returned soldiers a good turn by putting them on land that men with a life s experience would not attempt to touch,; Bir James and himself had endeavored to get the Land Purchase, Officer here, but the trouble was 'thW . was no .land offering— and that was not , due to low prices for wool and other produce. The time. may come when, if there .was no opening, the Government' woukt have to consider compulsory acquisition of land m this district. Referring to the native land purchase i operations on tlie East Coast, the Minis, ter said that when consolidation could ; be effected it .was. being done. All the land purchased had been earmarked for ; soldier settlement. He did not ' ftiiiik . there would be any difficulty m cbnsoJi- , dation^ .The^-Hon. A^T,; Ngata had , besn i^rking-iht^.coitfbjidatiott iand he (the speaker) did not think it would be : necessary to wait until other purchases were completed 1 to get-sbme of this lancf ; opened. Tho ortemal idea had been that land should be held until the return of, the men to New Zealand; Now there were over 20,000 men iW turned he, did not think' settlem&uf should be delayed much longer ? Th*i*e were not, however, men for rbad«_g, surveying,, and apart .frbmahis ; eveitjy' tiling^ was , now , jS qv expensive. r.ji!i_^c*d: deal, ha;dv beenv^p^hy. the Lan^fe Ist, : paa-tmeiuY in ■> prepariii^d land: r t oiAum^the, 'Uriwbra , paunljry, ' and' » sbn^bF it really. gotid, land, andwhen a few more purchases were 7 completed •■■ lie. i thought they would be able I; tp get on witli*.it. After .detailing the extent of discharged " soldier settlement ah-eady effected tlie Mimster said it was absolute nonsense lor some people to suggest . that every returned soldier should go on the land. Many did not desire to do so and re- . turned to theft- fbi-mer' employment proceeding, he indicated the nature of the provision that was being made, fop partly-incapacitKted, men, for the erection of soldiers' houses oi/similar lines to the workers' dwellings 5 scheme, ilt would be all very well for people S y * A m the event of disasteiv v th'at the _ Govevnment gave .too much.i for 'the > land. The GbVernment was >■ right 'm - taking reasonable .precautions. . ; ;'. ! On the 'subject of pensions the Hbm , Mr. Mac Donald, pointed- -out * there was often a difficulty m finding men when. i their pensions • expired. He thbtfg^t • there was -some duty, on a man to .'notify r the department if -he wasnihfittbrotifert lo work at, tlie expiry of his pensibn; ! There should be no difficulty m the department sending out notices: of ;.expi|jy the same as insurance' companies,, so thatt-. a man might, have an opportunitv-ef ap- ': plyiner for extensioni, and he> wouldiplJic© that suggestion before the* Minister ;of Defence. A scheme had' been drawti out, and he anticipated no difficulty iin • the matter of repatriation y when " Che men came back, except perhaps, m tlie case of - partly -incapacifeteel ©en. •

these matters all took time to place ov a proper basis. A basis of settlement of land by discharged soldiers had Blow been arrived at, and the necessary •regulations had been issued, details of which the Minister proceeded to place before the meeting. In. th course of a tribute to the work of the local committee and patriotic societies generally, Mr. Mac Donald said tilery had rendered valuable services, men and women having given unselfish devotion to the work- right from the days of recruiting. Tlie country was short of population, and he • saw ; *:no. difficulty m taking their own men back, as long as the war ended within, a reasonable time- and the country remained solvent — for that was the Finance Minister's aim, ■that the soldiers might come back to a solvent and prosperous, country. In con-: elusion the Minister declared 'his belief J that Britain and her Allies were well on the road to victory, and that the •time was 'not far distant when they would be able to dictate terms to' Germany. After several detail matters had been discussed, the chairman expressed the '- committer's thanks to Mr. Mac Donald for hia- consideration of their grievances, j