Land Settlement for Ex -Service Men 



sinking fund, which might equal 6 per cent, 

 on his total capital. One great mistake that 

 County Councils have made is in spending 

 too much on equipment. It is far better to 

 let the men gradually improve their own 

 equipment ; initial expenditure is lightened 

 and the man thus secures what best suits his 

 individual case. This is a course that is 

 being followed in land settlement schemes 

 in Sweden {vide C. D. 6708, 46). 



Apart from the settlement work of the 

 Salvation Army, practically the only 

 machinery which exists for giving land to 

 men applying for it is that of the County 

 Council Small Holdings Committees. Under 

 the new system of land settlement it should 

 not be assumed that there must be settle- 

 ment schemes for each and every county. 

 It will be wiser to develop settlement in 

 really suitable districts. From all this it is 

 clear that the County Councils should not 

 be the administrative authority for land 

 settlement, even if they remain the authority 

 for providing local tradesmen with accom- 

 modation land, or men already living in the 

 country with small areas of land. New 



118 



