R.S.A. CONFERENCE

Southland Times, Issue 18963, 9 June 1923, Page 5

R.S.A. CONFERENCE

SOLDIERS AND THE LAND “MUST RECOGNISE OBLIGATIONS TO STATE” (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, June 8. The Dominion Conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’- Associations was continued to-day. A recommendation was adopted by the Land Committee that as a general principle in farming policy, the following points should be emphasised:—That soldier settlers have undertaken obligations to the country and are now asking concessions, we therefore consider as a first and guiding principle that every soldier settler is morally bound to make an earnest endeavour to carry out these obligations to the very best of hi sability so that the highest confidence may exist between the soldier settler and his common landlord, the Crown, that by so doing the interests of the State and therefore of the general public, are being conserved as far as they possibly can. We appreciate the fact that the Government has now recognised the desirability of giving effect to the recommendations of the Returned Soldiers’ Association fbut would stress the necessity of expediting and giving effect to the Land Revision Committee’s report. The Conference then considered remits, that advocating an increase in the amount of the advance to soldiers on titree, gorse or blackberry lands from £750 to £lOOO, being adopted. The Conference reaffirmed its request for a re-valuation of soldier settler land when this course is shown to be necessary by the Land Revision Board. The Conference approved of the suggestion that a number of members of Land Boards, elected by Crown tenants, be increased from one to two, in view of the increase in the number of such tenants. It was decided to ask the Government to institute such legislation as may be advisable to protect returned, soldiers from hardships at the expiry of the moratorium in cases where properties have been purchased without Government assistance. In view of the fact that there .are a number of discharged soldiers still to be repatriated and extensive schemes are likely to be mooted in the near future, for the settlement of Imperial immigrants, the Conference adopted a remit by the Canterbury Association to the effect that .the. Government be urged that where pastoral leases, etc., become available through the expiration of leases, the land be thrown open for selection by discharged New Zealand soldiers under the Dischargd Soldiers’ Settlement Act.