LAND SCHEME IN BRITAIN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15222, 21 May 1920, Page 6

LAND SCHEME IN BRITAIN.

"Despite the fact that there are many ex-Imperial service men emigrating to panada, and other parts of the Empire, to take up land under ihe soldier settle ment schemes, a. large number of the exservice men are taking advantage of the Land Settlement Act m the United Kingdom, and are putting to the best use what little land there is m the Old Country for settlement purposes. Community settlements for returned-sol-diers, which arc being tried .out m British Columbia, are apparently meeting wun considerable success m the Old Land, where several large f.anns are being worked hy veterans on a- profit-sharing basis. A recent Issue of the London Daily Graphic describes the. work that, is u-ijis accomplished under the Act, stating m part:— "The extent cf the resources allotted by this grateful nation to its -soldier heroes who desire settlement on the land is embodied m the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act, 1019, which provides for £20,000,000 to bq available for loans within the. next two years, of which no more than £3,550,008 will, be available for England and Wales. Even if the Treasury were prepared to issue the whole of this authorised amount, it would probably prove insi'liicient if a large part of the land Is purchased for casli The cost of equipment must also be paid m cash. "Happily, the Act provides an alternative by authorising any owner to sell land to a Council m consideration of a perpetual annuity. These annuities are charged on the country fund, or borougn fund, or rates, and the receipts derived from the small holdings will be available for their payment. "The annuity idea is already m operation. A landowner m Wiltshire recently proposed to offer his estates of some 1500 acres for sale by auction. One of the lots, about 47 acres, was particularly required by the County Council m order to be subdivided and let m conjunction with another estate which the Council had acquired for ex-servi.ce men. The owner consented to sell this lot to the County Council m consideration of a perpetual annuity. A landowner m Hants also has just sold IGS acres to the County Council m consideration pf a prepetual annuity. . "Although one cannot always speak well of Government management, it is satisfactory to find that something is being accomplished towards the establishment of many ex-soldier farmers upon the soil of Britain. "The Government has been steadily acquiring land m -various parts of the* 1 country, and is now probably the larg-' est landowner m Britain. Several training farms, or settlements, have been instituted; at one, the Pat ringtail Farm Settlement, Yorkshire, considerable pro-, giess has been made. "It is not proposed to sub-divide this estate into small holdings, but to work it as one large farm on the profit-sharing system, each man also being guaranteed the local agricultural wage. The estate comprises 2,900 acres, with six farmhouses and sixteen old cotages, and the Board have erected. thirty-six new cottages since they obtained possession. "The number of ex-service men who] are now working on this settlement, is oi,i 33 of whom have completed their six months' probationary service, and are therefore entitled to participate m the profits. Every encouragement is being given to the social side of the work, and as a temporary measure an Army hut has been furnished and is being used as a social room. The livestock consists of 90 horses, 349 cattle, 354 sheep, 221 pigs', and about 700 head of poultry. , "Local authorities, too are taking a large share m the settlement scheme. The County Council of Bedford, is showing keen Interest m the Oilicers, Agriculture Training Scheme and In Surrey too, the officers' scheme is very progressive. The Agriculture Committee provides all necessary educational works free of cost to the students, who work m pairs and .exchange books every three months. Norfolk County Council has acquired 'a larger area of land for settlement ihan any other county m England or Wales, totalling 10,600 acres and has settled cro ex-service upon half this area; 775 applicants, wanting 10,000 acres, arc waiting! The Isle of Ely claims to have settled ihc largest number of ex-service men up to the end of 1919—006 men on 3,155 acres —mostly m small, market-garden holdings. With 2,5(51 acres the Cambridge County Council has created 224 holdings. And so cm. The "work these counties are doing points the way to efficient methods of handling a very responsible job. The country has a duty which is not met by merely putting men on to a farm and leaving them there. Guidance and personal interest during the season of training are part of the debt we owe to those who are learning to cultivate the land they gave so much to defend."