AGY-3854 | War Service Land Settlement Branch [Department of Lands]

Full description

The War Service Land Settlement Branch was established by the end of 1948. The exact date is unknown but possibly the new entity dates from the appointment of the first draftsman which occurred on 2 June 1948. (1) The branch was created by the Division of the Closer Settlement and Returned Soldiers Settlement Brach into two separate branches. This separation became necessary by the greater volume of business associated with settling returned men on the land following the end of World War II.

The branch was concerned with administering the War Service Land Settlement Act 1941 (Act No 43, 1941) as amended and the unrepealed sections of the Returned Soldiers Settlement Act, 1916 (Act No 21 1916) as amended in accordance with the agreement which had been reached by the Commonwealth and the States regarding the division of responsibilities in regard to the settlement of ex-servicemen.

These Acts made provision for areas of land to be set aside specifically for the selection by serving or discharged members of the defence forces. The land was that covered by the Crown Lands Consolidation Act 1913, the Wentworth or Hay Irrigation Acts, The Irrigation Act, 1912, the Closer Settlement Acts, Prickly Pear Acts or the Western Lands Act. (2) Persons desirous of making a selection were required to obtain a qualifications certificate. (3) The Certificates were issued by the Classifications Committee which contained one member who was a discharged member of the forces. Eligible people had to provide evidence that they were serving or honourably discharged members of defence forces, and that their experience and fitness suited them for farming or the pastoral industry. (4) The local land board could recommend that interest on purchase money or loans from the Rural Bank of New South Wales for improvement or annual rental could be waived while that an applicant continued in active service. (5)

At a Premiers’ conference on 5 October 1944 agreement was reached between the Commonwealth and the States in regard to soldier settlement. The ratified agreement was incorporated into Commonwealth legislation that commenced on 7 January 1946. (6) The terms of the agreement were that the states should select estates suitable for soldier settlement, they were then submitted to the Commonwealth for approval. The estates were to be such that they could quickly be brought into production. The states were responsible for making available advances for working capital, making improvements and purchasing plant and stock. Repayments and interest were waived for the first year of occupation of the land except for working capital for which re-payment commenced immediately. The Commonwealth provided a ‘reasonable living allowance’ for the first year on the land. This was not re-payable. Refresher training courses in farming were available although applicants were expected to have some experience in order to achieve qualification. Lack of finance was not be a hindrance to any applicant for soldier settlement. (7)

The legislation and the agreement aimed at avoiding the problems which had occurred with the settlement scheme for World War I soldiers in which many of the applicants in were untrained in agriculture and unsuitable for the work. This resulted in a high rate of forfeiture of properties and a large number of advances that were not re-paid and were eventually written off. In addition the land was sometimes unproductive and the projects over-ambitious.

Two methods were used for the allocation of the land to the soldiers (a) the 'acquisition' or 'ballot' method in which the Crown acquired properties, advertised them and allotted them to qualified soldiers by means of a ballot conducted by the local land board; and (b) the 'promotion' method in which one or more soldier/s could with the consent of the owner approach the Minister to acquire the land. If the acquisition proceeded the land was allocated to the soldiers who had negotiated with the owner. Irrespective of the method of allocation the tenure was described as a ‘Closer Settlement lease’ which was a lease in perpetuity. The terms of the lease included an annual rental of 2½% of the capital value; structural improvements were paid for separately at an interest of 2½%; residence was for a term of five years; compliance with Government standards for animal husbandry and conservation; ministerial consent for disposal of the land; the leases were not transferable in less than ten years except to another ex-serviceman or in the case or the death of the settler to immediate family. (8)

Of the administration of the scheme the Undersecretary for Lands reported as follows in 1948 “In Head Office of the Department, war service land settlement activities are spread, but mainly confined to the Closer Settlement Advisory Boards, War Service Land Settlement Branch, Accounts Branch, Securities Branch and the Classification Committee. The work impinges on most branches to some extent not overlooking the Information Bureau, which daily interviews numbers of ex-servicemen and answers their varied inquiries, as well as supplying information by post, in the form of lithographs, Gazette slips, etc to interested persons. The Map Compiling Branch, which undertakes the preparation of estate diagrams and later, the transfer thereto of topo. details, and the Lithographic Branch which turns out for public exhibition and distribution a lithograph showing the available farms, play an important role, as does the Roads Branch, which takes all necessary action for the opening or closing of roads in connection with estates being available.” (9) Ministerial advice was provided by the Director and Assistant Director of Servicemen’s Land Settlement who were in the Ministerial Branch. (10)

Although it was envisaged that the farms would be ready for occupation soon after selection, scarcity of labour and building materials meant that there was a considerable delay in the erection of residences and other farm buildings, fencing and other construction work which was a pre-requisite for the establishment of the farms.

The War Service Land Settlement and Closer Settlement (Amendment) Act, 1948 established War Service Land Settlement Boards. The Boards consisted of
An officer of the Department of Lands who is a discharged serviceman and who was the Chairman of the Board
One member appointed by the Returned Sailors, Soldiers an Airmen’s Imperial League (NSW Branch); and
One member appointed by the Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women, NSW Branch. (11)
The Boards dealt with various matters pertaining to war settlement including applications for Land. Two Boards had been constituted by 30 June 1949. (12)

In the early years following the establishment of the Branch the seasons were favourable, commodity prices were high and some of the settlers performed well. There was enthusiasm about the capacity of the lands acquired by the promotion method to add to food production.

The War Service Land Settlement (Amendment) Act, 1954 (Act No.11, 1954) extended entitlements under the Act to include people who had served in the Korean War and the Malaya Operational Forces.

During the 1950s, because of the time interval since the end of World War II fewer new estates were being purchased and the volume of business for the branch declined, and there was no longer a need for a separate branch. In 1960 the War Service Settlement Branch amalgamated with the re-established Closer Settlement Branch. (13)

Endnotes
1. Public Serive List 1948 p. 81.
2. War Service Land Settlement Act, 1941 s. 3.
3. Ibid. s. 3 (3).
4. Ibid. s. 4.
5. Ibid. s. 7.
6. Department of lands report for the year ended 30 June 1946 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 30 June 1946 p. 4-5 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1946-1947 vol 1 p. 48-49.
7. Department of Lands report for the year ended 30 June 1947 p. 8,11 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1947-1948 Vol 1 p. 84, 87.
8. Department of Lands report for the year ended 30 June 1948 p. 5-6 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1948-49-50 Vol 1 p. 305-306.
9. Ibid p. 8.
10. Loc. Cit. and Public Service List 1948 p. 71.
11. War Service Land Settlement and Closer Settlement (Amendment) Act, 1948 s. 2.
12. Department of Lands report for the year ended 30 June 1949 p. 6 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1948-49-50 Vol 1 p344.
13. Public Service List 1960 p. 104; NSW Government Gazette No.144, 9 December 1960, p.3975. The Closer Settlement Branch [III] was re-established from 4 October 1960 when Harold Carr was appointed Officer-in-charge.