SOLDIERS' AFFAIRS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11927, 9 February 1917, Page 3

SOLDIERS' AFFAIRS.

CONDUCT OF BUSINESSES. GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER SCHEME. The Hoo J. Allen, Acting-Prime Minister, in Christchurch yesterdav declined to discuss suggestions, published in the " Lyttelton Times," by Messrs James Douglas and C. IT. Elisor, that County Councils should be empowered at once to act as trustees of estates of soldiers Vho had gone to tho front. Mr AUen said that the subject had been considered by the Efficiency Board. It, had prepared a report, which would be submitted to the Government today or to-morrow. In tho meantime, ho could say that he did not thinl. County Councils would be selected as bodies to act as trustees. The Hon W. D. S. Mac Donald, Minister of Agriculture, also referred to tho question. He said that the proposal to use County Councils in that way had been under consideration for some timo. The Government already had done something in that direction. It protected soldiers in a small way by arranging to keep their mortgages going, and in other directions, to the extent of £2 a week. The great extension of the principle now openly advocated would have to be further considered before it was adopted. In reply to a question, Mr Mac Donald said that the Government had notbeen informed of any actual cases in which bargain hunters had tried to take unfair advantage of the fact that soldiers had to dispose of their properties by foroed sales*