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Discharged Soldiers
Settlement.
Speaking with reference io the
Disciiaiiged Soldiers' Settlement But
in the Legislative Assembly last week,
Mr Bailey, M.L. A. for Port Fairy,
said : I lie niuunber oi soldiers se t
tled on land in Victoria as compared
wMi ihe number desirous of going 011
the land reflects 110 credit on this
Government. I listened! carefully to
the remarks of the honorable member
for Benambra, and I endorse to a large
extent the sentiments expressed by
him. We have been toid that the
provisions of the Bill are neces'sary,
owing to a congestion of business in
the Closer Settlement Department.
That congestion has not been brought
about by the inefficiency of the pre
sent officers. I believe we have as
capa|ble a set of officers under the
Closer Settlement Board as we can
possibly get. What has caused the
congestion is thfcit the Government is
buying a number of small farms in
various parts of the State, and tfhat
involves a great amount of work which
would be avoided, if the Government
bought isome of the big estates in this
State which shoWd be compulsorily
acquired.
Mr Mackinnon : We have not been
unkind" to your district..
Mr Bailey : The Government have
bought one estate. ;
Mr Mackinnon : We have bought 2.
Mr Bailey. : However, I do not
want to look at this matter frorn a
parochial point of view. The point
I -want to make is that if the Govern
ment were to put into operation the
powers given in the Discharged Sol
diers' Settlement Act and compulsor
ily resume some of these large estates,
it would not be necessary to have as
'urge a staff as is required when only
small areas arc being purclia'eedi.
Mr Mackinnon : We must not for
get that we cannot obtain possession
under 12 months.
Mr Bailey : Under tfhe principal
Ac;': there is power to resume large
estates, but the Government have not
exercised that power.
Mr Mackinnon : That is not true.
Mr Bailey : I should like to know
about some of the estates which have
been compulsorily acquired.
Mr Mackinnon : The owners do not
wait. After w,e sendi along the pre-
linninary notice, the owners agree to
negotiate. We have dealt in this way
with a number of estates.
Mr Bai!eyr : We have had soldier
settlement in operation for two years,
and wc have not yet sufficient land
for the soldiers who want it. It is
admitted that soldiers are leaving Vic
toria for N.S.W., and this could be
avoided if land! were compulsorily ac
quired. I want to give the Govern
ment as much cred.it as they arc en
titled tie.
Mr Mackinnon : As much as they
are entitled to from dlic Opposition.
"Mr Bailey. : We always desire to be
fair to the Government.. The Minis
ter has told us that notice had been
given in a number of instances, an<l
that the owners had entered into ne
gotiation subsequently. The methods
seem to he very slow.
Mr Mackinnon : The compulsory-
method is always slow, and it! is very
costly- ; besides, we do noit want to
resume more land than we want.
Mr Bailey : The Leader of the Op
position read a letter from the R'pon
branch of the R.S. and S.I.L. of
Australia with reference to a number
of local soldiers who were yvaiting to
be settled on land.
Mr Evcrard : It is a shame, and! the
Government should realise it.
Mr Bailey- : The Government hava
control over the land in this State, and
they ought to be able to prevent the
squatters from keeping 588 s. miles
of territory from settlement.
... Mr Mackinnon : We have given
them notice, and we expect an answer
by the end of this week from one of
the biggest own'ers, who has only-
yvitkin the last few days- returned
from England.
Mr Bailey : For how long docs the
Minister sit back after notice has
been given? Tasked! how many es
tates had been compulsorily resumed .
The Government can give notice and
sitf back, and the squatters might know
that the notice is not going to be fol
lowed up. I asked some questions in
the House months ago as to what was
being, done under the compulsory re
sumption sections, and the answer was
that they were negotiating.
Mr Everard: Where is their loyalty
to the returned men ?
Mr Bailey : That is what I want to
know. Where is the loyalty of the
squatters in the Ripon shire, wbo hold
5S8 square miles of land ?
Air Mackinnon: Most: of them yvent
and fought. Alany who were of
military age did not do that. Some
of these men are mentally deranged
through their experience at the front.
Mr Oman : Some of these men
were on, the water before the Austra
lian Government offered to send any
troops. . r .11
Air Bailey : It is all very fine to talk
about the men who fought. When
this matter was discussed in the House
yvc put m a proivision that certain land
should! not be resiuimcd until twelve
months after the return of the soldier.
Air Oman : If tfhe owners wanted to
evade that provision, they could have
done so.
Air Bailey : Because these went
away and fought, is that any reason
why the land should .be held back ?
Mr Mackinnon : It is not a reason
for gibing at tfheir want of. patriotism.
Mr Bailely : I think it is very unjust
to the returned soldiers to ask them
to- go back to inaccessible country', or
to say that they should 'do so.
Air Mackinnon:- That was never
said. _
Air Bailey: The Government are
constructing railways into the Mallee.
Air Mackinnon : Of course, we are.
Do you object to the Mallee being
settled ?
Air Bailey : We have heard repea
tedly in tfhe House from members,
particularly of the Country party, and
'from Mr Stewart, who uised to be in
this House, all about the hardships or
tjhc pioneers in the Mttllee, and yet
the Government are sending these
men, who have been used to the com
radeship of their fellow-soldiers, into
inaccesisible back country .
Air Mackinnon : They, are going
there of their own free will.
Air Bailey : They cannot get any-
other land. .
Mr Mackinnon : They null do bet
ter there than men who settle in your
Mr Bailey :They should be settled
on seme of the estates in my district,
or on the land spoken of bv tne ho
norable member for Benambra. No
doubt, after many years in the Mal
ice, tfhev may- do well.
Air Mackinnon : Go and see the
Air Purnell : Returned soldiers have
been successfully settled on estates at
Colac. „
Air Bailey : That is where they
-hould be settled, -> .
Air Mackinnon : Do you not want
the Alallee settled?
Air Bailey : I do: not want soldiers
te be settfled on inaccessible Mallee
countrv. . —
Air Mackinnon' ; We arc not doing
'Mr "Bailey ; This House. authorised
the construction of tfwo railways into
the Mallee.
Mr Mackinnon : They have been
constructed. " .
Mr Bailey : They were constructed
alieSd of settlement.
Mr Mackinnon : You had better
make a visit to tlie Alallee. I have
been there.
Air Bailey: The. Minister, when he
introduced the Railway Construction
Bill, said that railways were being
constructed ahead of settlement, and
he considered that settlement! would
rqliow. Are not those men going to
So the pioneering work ?
Mr Aiaekinnon : They are rolling
down the Alallee.
Air Bailey : Whilst they are putting
111 years doing that they could be
producing on land that is now held by
squatters. It is all right for the Alin-
ister to keep 011 interjecting. The
squatters are of his own class. The
squatters who arc holding up this
land are of his own class, and 110
doubt' he wants to put 'up a fight for
them. It is all very well to say that
these men can do better 011 back Alal
lee country than cn land held by the
squatters. I say they cannot do bet
ter. The honorable member for Bol-
warth spoke about successful soldier
settlement in the Colac district.
Air McDonald: He interjected about
that to show that the people that you
arc complaining about are freely of
fering their land in the Western dis
trict for soldier settlement.
Air Bailey : There are so many on
the Government side of .the House
trying to help the Government' out of
a hole that they do not give me a
chance to speak.
Air Purnell : The Government re
cently bought two estates in the Wes
tern -j tt that are now " being
.nirwy-Lcwr soldier settlement.
Air Bailey : If land-owners are co
ming forward1, why was it found nec
essary by the Government to issue so
many notices for compulsory acqui
sition ?
Air Aiaekinnon : We have issued
over 40 notices to land-owners.
Air Bailey : That 13 because thcy
would not come forward and offer
their land voluntarily.
Air Aiaekinnon : They may not
think their property suitable.
. Air Oman : In many cases, the rea
son is that they cannot sell their
SltOCK.
Air Bailey : I admit that that is
one of the reasons why the squatters
do not want to sell a ,tf present. They
find it difficult to sell their stock at a
reasonable price, and they cannot g.c-t
other land to carry their stock. Still
wc did not have a drought last year-
and that excuse could not apply then.
I am strongly of opinion that it is
not fair to send men in t'o the inacces
sible back country where they have
to endure the privations of the ori
ginal pioneers, when there is good
land held up by a few- people The
statement made by the Returned Sol
diers' Association in regard to the
land at Ripon speaks for itself, and it
is onlv typical of land in other parts
of the State. There is an area of
588 square miles in the Ripon Shire
held back from soldier settlement.
Air Afackninon: Have you been on
these properties?
Air Bailev: No.
Air Aiaekinnon: Do you know how-
much of the land is suitable for set
tlement ? . .,
Air Bailey: I only seen the
land in. passing, thro, ugh. but I should
s?v that; most of it would carry sheep,
and would! be suitable in big areas for
SMr Mackinnon : That is the trouble
and that it why I want to get the va
lue increased. .
Air Oman : The Bill provides for
Air Bailey : I know that; and I re
gard the p'rovisioon as a wise one.
What is the idea of increasing the
value of property that is to be repor
ted on bv local assessors .
Air Mackinnon : On account ot the
slowness of ttie operators. home-
times they take five months to give
us an answ-er. ,
Mr Bailey: That. was supposed to
be one of the good provisions in the
Act If the value -of the estate ex
ceeded £10,000, it' had to be reported
on bv local assessors.
'Air Aiaekinnon : We hope to get Hi
information from the locai council
Air Bailey : I hope that the safe
guards which are being substuutcd
wall be effective 111 preventing unsu t
able land being foisted on the Goe"U
nuent . .In «iy opinion, if some of
the large cstates were cut u it
would save a great deal of m »
office of the Closer Settlement
Mr Oman : I do not think there 's
a member of the Government who
does not think that.
Air Bailey : The Government should
discourage the displacing of small far
mers by soldiers-.
$