OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1915, Page 6

OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS.

INTERVIEW WITH HON. G. W. MISSEL L. Vi'i •■•;'. in Wellington Mr. D. ■!'. 'lnches interviewed the Minister of In! .:nml Affairs re Taranaki's wounded .soldiers who are returning. Mr. Hughes' point of view as that the new hospital in New Plymouth, which U practically empty at the present time, v.'euid bo'a .splendid place for medical attention beiie: given io all our reluming wounded feidievs. The Minister was iyi.ee-r.thciic, <uul <iu:te iv.v inised New '.'lynioufh's ji'e.li-aily and clinaiiesiiy, lint r.-.-".nted out that it is the Department's iuioi'.'ion to find tiie men to hospilah as near their homes as possible, providing, of conr.-e, fheve was aceommoilation. He g.uc his promise that as far as he could he would endeavor io help to fill the newhospital if Hawera and Stratford could not take them.

Mr. Hughes also brought under the Minister's notice that if he had a large batch coining it would not be necessary to disembark them at 'Wellington, as the largest liner coming to this Dominion could berth at New Plymouth. He also mentioned the injustices occurring whereby wounded men who have been sent back are allowed insufficient monies to keep the pot boiling. The reply ivas that the Act allowed so much, and the eases came before the Pensions Board, and if the allowance was not enough the patriotic societies had plenty of funds. The Minister seemed keen on doing as much as he could to help to recuperate the returned wounded, and told Mr. Hughes that he proposes to treat those who are fit to hot salt-water baths and surf-bathing. Mr. Hughes stressed the fact that New Plymouth could fill the bill in this respect, but the Minister's answer was that he would have to locate the men in a place where there was a sparse population, as soldiers are great favorites, and the gay lift of the "madding throng" did not hasten their return to normal health.

A NOVEL BUT PRACTICABLE SCHEME,

The editor of the Dairyman lias submitted to the Ministry the following scheme dealing with such of the returned wounded soldiers as desire to go on the land. The proposal is as follows: In the vicinity of practically every dairyfactory in New Zealand there- are large blocks of land, say from G4O to 1000 acres, which are not used at present for dairying. As a rule these belong to fairly wealthy men, many of whom have owned them for many years and who are about to retire. The scheme, briefly, is that the Government should acquire one of the blocks in the vicinity of every dairy factory where available in 'lie Dominion, and that during the term iif the war these blocks so acquired ! '."ii!d be let as dry stock paddocks to thi dairy company near by. This would .;.:.-,■. a an immediate increase in the out(.>'.;l oi each dairy company of from 5 >.r cent, to 10 per cent., am] !n tnese times, when food products are at such a :>:-Milium, this \, ;,,iUI be of inestimable sti-vlcy to the IC.'c ;;r\ Tii.- ;nvr2g". i;j,!r>- farm of 100 acres ■'.;:.-, tuvgii'iy ;»j>v>v:£ JO per cent, of dead-h.-ad?, i.e., .ivy eaii-.c, young heifers, surplus horses, r. :.d other non-producers. Every sharehrd,!.--.' in every co-operitive f.vrtory would be g'ad to avail himself of (h.e opportunity of imining his dry ~-.0.:-lc on the o ; ia'e purchased, and by this ?v-3»i !vfrc.v:c his output of either Lmtier or iV-.eef.-. On the majority of estates there h a homestead, and wo would suggest that such of those wounded soldiers wlio desire to go on the land should iie given this homestead to enable them to recuperate, and the only return that should be made by them is the genera! supervision of the dry stock being grazed on the estate. ' At the end of the war the estate could be cut up and ballot led for exclusively by i wounded and invalided soldiers.

Supposing that the total area resumed in this way over the whole Dominion was 100,000 acres, this would mean that there would be an additional 50,000 cows being used for dairying, which, at .:', !5 a cow, would give an additional £7">o,of'o worth of butter and cheese available for export, besides making adequate provision for all of the invalided soldiers who elect to go on the land. We need not point out that amongst the 30,000 ot 40,000 men who have volunteered a very fair percentage of them are men from the country who have been used to dairying and farming pursuits, and we are certain that if provision were made for them in thi9 way it would meet with the full approval of every elector in New Zealand.

There is an excellent example of this in the Balfour estate, adjoining the borough of Pahiatua. It comprises about 4000 acres, all of which is fit for dairying. It was bought over 25 years ago in standing bush at about 35s an acre or less, and the average amount spent on it in improvements is about £4 or £5 an acre, making the actual cost to the owner of some/£7 per acre. The market value of this land is now not less than £-20 to £25 an acre. If this property, for example, were resumed this summer, and a clearing sale held, say, in February of the stock, it is certain that the stock would realise a higher price than has ever been obtained in New Zealand, so that no financial injury would be done to the owner.

If the place were used in the manner suggested, as a dry stock run for the milk suppliers of the Pahiatua district, this would be equivalent to fetching into use for dairying an additional four thousand acres at one stroke, and the wine thing would apply in the neighborhood of every dairy factory in New Zealand. The owners would be quite satisfied to take payment in 4% per cent, debentures, and this would simplify the matter of finance.