ADVANCES TO SETTLERS.

Southland Times, Issue 20633, 3 November 1928, Page 3

ADVANCES TO SETTLERS.

To the Editor. Sir, —I would like if you could give me the facts concerning the Advances to Settlers Act, 1923. At Mr. Adam Hamilton’s meeting at Moesburn on 26th inst, I asked him “if he thought it was a fair thing that the Government should charge a higher rate of interest to the man with a mortgage on his farm than to the man without one.” Mr. Hamilton replied that I had been misinformed. I said: “I understood there had been a big battle over the Bill.” To this Mr. Hamilton replied that it wm the fight over the idea of the man without the mortgage getting his money first on account of things that have to be cleared up under a mortgage, he assured me that I had been misinformed. Now, as far as I can remember, the Reform Government under the leadership of the late Mr. Massey, put up a big fight to give the clear farm man his money at per cent, and the man with a mortgage his money at per cent, but owing to fierce opposition, in which Mr. Perrelle took a very active part, Mr. Massey told the House they were trying to wreck the whole Bill, but to get the measure through he raised the rate of interest to the man with a clear farm to 5 per cent. I have not heard that there has been any alteration since. I understand that Mr. Dixon, Reform member for Chalmers, was so dis-,

gusted with the idea of an independant farmer being given his money cheaper than a farmer struggling under a mortgage, that he left the Reform party and voted with the Opposition. Now, Sir, for my benefit, and of those also who heard the question, I will be pleased if you will enlighten us. 1 feel that Mr. Dixon would have been quite justified in voting against his own party even if only to stop the clear farm man from getting money at any price, while the Reform Government, were out to starve the Department of Advances to Settlers, so that a farmer had to wait two years to get money. I might mention that that was just about the time my brothers and myself had to wait to pay off a mortgage of £3,000, which we had to raise during the war from that generous gentleman who moved Mr. Hamilton’s vote of thanks and confidence on the 26th inst. at Mossburn. At the time we raised this, about May, 1918, the brother who was left on the farm at Lowther was seriously ill in hospital, another brother (who was killed in action a little later) and myself were in- the trenches. Well in addition to asking 6 per cent, and nothing less than at five year term, this generous gentleman must have thought that Diggers ought to be thankful for the privilege to get money for a mortgage on a farm back in New Zealand, even if they had to pay £1 per hundred “procuration fee”, so he insisted on same and got it, as soon, I understand, as his money was paid over. It is these dead end mortgages that are driving farmers all over New Zealand to vote for men who will demand a sensible system of finance for the farmer. —I am, A. A. CURRIE. Murray Creek, Moasburn 1 .