Islands Soldier

Settlers

Vague Plans and Discussions

rE New Guinea Branch of the RSSAILA, which at present func tions in Sydney, is interested in soldier-settlement after the war, as it applies to Papua and New Guinea.

Members are anxious that any land settlement scheme in these Territories should be controlled by those who thor oughly understand the peculiarities of tropical agriculture. With this in view they drew up a list of recommendations, which was forwarded to the Soldier Land Settlement Conference of State represen tatives. which recently concluded its sittings in Melbourne. This Conference was called together by the Returned Sailors’, Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia.

The Conference agreed that, in the past. Soldier Land Settlement had been a failure and, with a view to avoiding an other failure, eight recommendations have been made. A draft Bill, embodying these essential principles, will be sub mitted to the Commonwealth Govern ment at an early date. It will be seen that these recommendations do not refer specifically to New Guinea or to any other part of the Commonwealth —but they are the basic principles upon which it is hoped all Soldier Land Settlement in all parts of Commonwealth Territory will be based. As such, they are of in terest to Territorieans generally. The eight recommendations follow: — (1) That any future scheme, in all its phases, be a full Commonwealth re sponsibility. (2) That any interest chargeable shall not exceed 2 per cent. (3) Land shall be secured and allotted to ex-servicemen at a reasonable price. (4) Sufficient capital will be advanced to provide stock, plant, water supply, housing, and all facilities necessary to ensure decent living conditions. (5) Payment of rental and the repay ment of advances shall not commence until the stage of productivity has been reached; and, until it has been reached, adequate sustenance shall be paid. (6) The right type of settler shall be selected, and provision made for his training, where considered necessary and advisable.

(7) Where a settler fails through no fault of his own, he shall not be de barred from further repatriation benefits. (8) Proper care to be taken in the selection and allocation of land, with the object of ensuring that all products shall be marketable and on a profitable basis.

EDITORIAL NOTE; The plan, as far as it goes, is excellent. But it stops short at the most important point—markets.

New Guinea, for example, will grow any thing—cool country stuff on the plateaus, and tropical products in the coastal re gions. But what is the use of establish ing planters to grow things unless the planter and his backers know (a) where their markets are, and (b) what they may expect as fair average returns? What is the use of sending soldier-settlers into the tropics to grow coconuts if the copra market of the world is to continue to be the plaything of the Unilever Combine?

The RSSAILA is starting at the wrong end. Let it, first of all, decide the pro ducts for which there is a fairly regular demand; and then let it work back, through markets, availability and cost of transport, availability of land and labour, to the suitability of the soldier-settler. To start with the soldier-settler, and finish vaguely on production, without any assur ance regarding markets, is simply to re peat the disastrous soldier-settler blunders of the 1919-1925 period.