21 APRIL 1923, Page 3

The total indebtedness of a settler both for land and

advances must not exceed £1,500. The land is to be paid for at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum on the capital value. This will wipe out capital cost and interest in thirty-six and a-half years, but it is expected that settlers will prosper sufficiently to pay much sooner. This scheme of settlement is not restricted to persons with agricultural experience, but it is necessarily confined to persons having a capital of £300. Under the Empire Settlement Act, the British Government, through loans to approved settlers, will have assisted Empire develop- ment to the total extent of £3,000,000 without cost to the British taxpayer. The Victorian Government is to be most heartily congratulated on an admirable scheme.