RETURNED' SOLDIERS’ ASSOCIATION.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11927, 22 October 1919, Page 4

RETURNED' SOLDIERS’ ASSOCIATION.

Per Press Association. Wellington, Oct. 31'.. At the Returned Soldiers’ Conference, during discussion on part 3 of the Land Committee’s report, Mr Mitchell said the committee agreed that the price to be paid for any particular piece of land should be the value of that laud in 1914 plus an increase at the same rate as the land increased in value for the five years preceding 1914, and plus any improvements put on the land during that period. By adopting such a principle, the country would secure the war-created value.

The conference agreed to the principle expressed by Mr Mitchell,, but decided to refer the matter back to the committee for a detailed report. Among the recommendations of the Land Committee adopted were the following :—That a land officer ho appointed by the R. S.A. and attached to headquarters to take in hand all matters pertaining to land settlement; that in all cases where desirable and possible stock should he acquired with estates; that as a general principle estates should not be cut up into too small sections; that no rural land over the value of £7500 be transferable without the option of purchase being first given to the Land Purchase Board, such option to be exercised within three mouths, that such land cannot be sold to anyone other than the Government for a period of two years after such option is given at lower rates than that asked from the Government without the approval of the Land Purchase Board ; that all land aggregated since January Ist. 1915, may be compulsorily taken by the Government at the price paid by the aggregator, for settlement by soldiers. It was also decided to recommend that loans for building for settlers be fixed as follows *—Single men £350, man and wife £4OO, for each child £SO extra. Discussion on the laud question took place at the conference of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. In moving the adoption of part 1 of the Land Committee’s report, Mr Mitchell (Balclutha) said the comI mittee proposed that the Govern--1 ment should open up all undeveloped lands in the Dominion, so that they might be -occupied at once, and all big estates should be valued and tabulated, with a view to giving the owners fair notice of resumption by the Government. Inflated values were- at the bottom of. the whole trouble regarding land. The Government should step in and stop land gambling, and the committee recommended that land agrgegated during the war should be acquired by the Government at a fair value to the aggregators. Land speculation was an evil that should be stopped. It was wrong to demand that soldiers taking part in ballots should have a certain amount of capital by them. Provided men had the amount of a half-year’s rent they should be allowed to go to the ballot. He had found, contrary to many reports, that soldier settlers weiolu the main getting on very well. =Mr Potter (Auckland), in seconding the motion, said it was undeveloped lands that should he brought into a state of production. After a long discussion Mr Mitchell replied and pointed out that the committee felt that land belonging to absentee owners should be taken first.

The committee considered the land aggregator, the land speculator, and theLW.W. qgitator were the worst enemies of the country to-day.

“Part 1 of the report was adopted. "The Finance Committee reported that after considering the financial statement, as at September 30th, it was obvious that headquarters could not rety sufficiently on renewals for its support At this date there were approximately 9000 uutiuauciai members. Whereas the immediate liabilities amounted to £lO4l 5s Id, cash and reaily realisable assets only totalled £Gss"l4s 6d. The committee suggested that some drastic measures be taken by local associations with regard to collecting outstanding renewals, and that the instruction that returns be furnished to headquarters monthly be rigidly adhered to. Owing to the fact that headquarters camiot rely upon renewals, the commttee recommended that the capitation to headquarters be increased to 3s 6d per member for new njembers, remaining as at present, viz., 2s, The committee recommended that in cases where a member of the executive is representing an association at the conferenca his expenses shall be divided equally between headquarters and the local association represented. The committee specially drew the attention of the conference to the item “local associations to headquarters, £329 5s 3d, ” This amount was actually owing by local associations for badges supplied and renewals. The statement of estimated income and expenditure showed an|excess of expenditure over income of £Bl3. The report was received.