LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17544, 10 April 1919, Page 9

LAND FOR SOLDIERS.

THE RANGITATAU SCHttMK

DISCUSSED BY PATRIOTIC

ASSOCIATION

At yesterday's meeting of the W'nvPatriotic Association the proposals evolved oy ihe special sub-cottitnittee felative te the acquisition of a poition of tbe Rangitatau estate for the purpose of a soldiers' settlement were presented and discussed. Mr. Hope-Gibbcns, as chairman, o! the committee, traced the history cf the Association's efforts to secure this land for soldiers. They wire first informed that Mr. Moore was willing to sell 8000 acres to the Government for the requirements of soldier settlers, and they made representations accordingly. Later they heard that the Government was \viiling to purchase that portion of t.he estate on the right side of the road, but not the land on the left of t.»w joad. A sub-committee was appMnted to View the land, and, if satiafied as to its suitability, to endeavour to induce the Government to purchase the whole block. Some members of the Government Land Purchase Board visited the estate, and wlic.i they left Aramoho on their return to Wellington they led one member of the Association's deputation, to understand that they were practically committed to the adoption of the whole scnejne. The committee Md told the members of the Board that If the Government would not purchase the whole block the Association might be able to arrange terms with the Government for the purchase of the balance. The next they heard was an intimation from the Land Purchase Board that it had decided not to purchase any of the land. The committee did not receive this intimation in time to permit of consulting Mr. Moorfe, and that gentleman at once put the. Whole block in the hands of a firm of land agents to dispose of. The committee thereupon considerjed it desirable* to evolve a scheme which would enable a portion of the estate to be secured, and with that end in view another visit of inspection Was made to the themselves as to its suitability ■ for cutting into small areas. He (Mr. Gibbons) undertook to interview the Minister of Lands with a view to in*ducinghim td'ae&ißt in purchasing the land in the way suggested. In company with Mr. Veitch > M.P., he proceeded to Marton and there- met the Hon. Mr. Guthrie, »who was visiting the soldiers' settlement at Greystoke. At that interview the Minister appeared to be Quite sympathetic. The coniniittee had then' formulated its proposals, as in the report submitted for diseussiott, as under: The following members of the committee.Measrs T. B. Williams, Hope-Gibbons, E. Parsons, W. A. Collins, Jfas. Higgle, H; Alexander, ; accompaned by Messrs L. j. Sigley and N. Meuli visited the block on Saturday. We thoroughly inspected Block 2, 1565 acres. Mr Moore's Rangitatau manager accompanied us. He supplied a map sjiowing fences erected with approximate areas, also pointed out how each sub-division would be watered, and a good line for road through centre of the block if required. We then fully discussed the. proposal and arrived at the . i oJJlowing conclusiona^-^-r-t 1) ~That a soldier should be given land that if well farmed will giVe him a return of £250 per annum. Cut ,of this of course credit must be giivon for livtoig seKpehses. (2); That land in the block to the capital value of approvi'mately £3250 would give the JsettleKv this "amount. (3) That we should bid up to £18 per acre for the block, and that the capital' Value of each sub-divisiori should not exceed £3250. (4) That the sub-division in what we term No. 1 land to average 125 to 150 acres £25, we estimate to earn £4 per acre; No. 2, 150 acres to 200 acres (£2O), we estimate to earn £3 per acre; No. 3, 300 acres (£10) we estimate to earn £2 per acre. (5) That under these' condilions with the Government , regulation re capital value at £2500 for each soldier. The Association's assistance would bo approximately £750. The stocking of the arpas, say, £500 to £750; building and plant, say, £250; total, £1000, The Government assist, up to £750; we should find the 'balance £250. Therefore, each settler may absorb £1000 of our funds, which would ,be secured by 2nd mortgage. (6> Example:—-125 acres earning £4 ; per acre on 5 p©r, cent, basis, £500; rent at 255. per acre, £156, rates and insurance, £14, interest on advances £1000 at 5 per cent., 50,; expenses, £280. Total, £500. That a sub*committee consisting of Messrs Collins, Parsons, Alexander, and Gibbons be appointed to practically take charge of a settlement, working with the authorities, vide copy suggested handed to the Minister of Lands. In conclusion Mr. Gibbons said the committee fully realised that it would have been better, had it -been possible, to secure some nice open, ploughable land close to the town; but, as all their efforts in that direction had proved futile they had fallen back on the Rangitatau scheme as an earnest of their desire to «make a practical start With the settlement of soldiers within the district. He moved the adoption of the report chiefly with the object of | affirming the principle that the As- i sociation should use its funds, under proper safeguards, for the purpose of financing soldier settlers. Mr. Collins seconded. Mr. Alfred Burnett said that while he was as anxious as any man to see soldier farmers provided with farms, he felt it his duty to oppose the scheme proposed by the subcommittee. In the first place the security suggested was ±:ot a good ; one. In the next place the monies '' Kit the Association had been donated by the public for specific purposes from which they, as trustees, had no right to divert them. The system upon which they had been working lup to the present was to limit the ■ amount of advance to any one solIto £100, and he was opposed to de- | parting from that system. So far as j the security provided for under the scheme was concerned, it meant that the Government would hold a first mortgage covering all advances for

land attd stock, and the Association, with its second mortgage, would have to stand by until the Government was paid. That was not a good commercial proposition. They had also to remember that they could net deal with a soldier as they would deal.in the ordinary way of business with a civilian mortgagee who made default. If a soldier settler financed under this scheme made delimit, what man was there sitting at that table Who would advocate foreclosure? They had further to remember that there were a great many soldiers yet to return, many of whom might be in need of assistance. Many years would elapse before our soldiers became old men, and during those years it Was possible that many of them would stn-. ier disabilities calling for financial h-slp. He held, therefore, that it was their duty to resist parting With their funds for any purpose other than those for which they were subscribed. It was the bounden duty of the Government to put all eligible soldiers on the land, and not to levy on the funds of the Patriotic. Societies. There was another feature which must be considered. If they ; established the precedent of granting any particular soldier an advance of a large sum to assist in the purchase of land, what Were the other soldiers going to say? Obviously, tney we&e going to say,. "Where do we come in?" And they had only to extend to a small extent the application of the principle upon which this Rangitatau schfeaie "was based, and the whole of their -fund's would be absorbed for the benefit of the few, while the many remained unsatisfied. Much ac he desired that the soldier should "have his farm, and have it undtef conditions which wotild enable him to make a fair living, he did not think they would be true to their obligations if they permitted their funds to be used for what the Government ought to do.

Mr. Hill, speaking on behalf of a deputation from the Returned Soldiers' Association, said the proposals of the Patriotic Association in regard to the Jtangitatatt estate had

been discussed at the last meeting of the Returned Soldiers' Association, and the opinion there expressed had been similar to that vofieed by Mr. Burnett. The meeting "had expressed its disapproval of the spending ot a great ,deal of money to settle a very few men. when there was a very large number coming back and probably requiring assistance.

I A lengthy diseueslon ensued, | largely as to the question of the ! suitability or otherwise of the Ran- | gitatau land for sub-division, in the | course of which Mr. J. G. Bitrnet, a returned soldier, speaking by invitation, stated that he was intimately acquainted with the land which, in his opinion, could not possibly be profitably farmed in the small areas provided for under the scheme. Ht recognised that the members of the committee Who had' formulated the scheme were practical farmers of long experience, but he was satisfied that they did not know this parI ticular land. In. support of this contention, which was combatted by Messrs Hope-Gibbons, Jas. Higgie, Collins and A. Robinson, Mr. J. H. Burnet said that in speaking as he and his son had done they werw. speaking against their own interests. If the scheme were adopted and carried out, whatever befell the soldiers Who were placed upon the sections, the result of the necessary ,roading would be .to put thousands of pdUnds on to the value Of his (Mr. Bu,met!s) property.. That fact* he considered, should satisfy them as. to the bona fides of thef desre to prevent a serious mistake being made. The sub-division suggested by Mr. Moore hinisell was a v,°m one; but he felt convinced that if the land Were cut into the email areas recommended by the committee the men- who were put on the sections Would have their noses to ;the grihtfstohe Tor the whole 'of their lives. In the course of the discussion the earnestness of the committee, and the time and trouble, the member^ 6i it had devoted in their 'endeavour to secure land for soldiers who required it, was warmly eulogised. Mr. (Mbbons having replied, the motion for the adoption of the report was put and lost.