The following are key events that occurred in Stanthorpe during 1927:
Mr A Baker appointed to Stanthorpe Shire Council – only one person voted against him. Mr Baker went on to become the Mayor of Charleville Pratten.
January 14: Delegates from Amiens, Messines, Bapaume, prepare a case for the Hon A.E. (Minister for Trade and Tariffs) on his visit to Amiens, against the reduction on the tariff on tomato pulp. Only necessary to impress the hardship this reduction entailed to soldier settlers.
Out of about 400 original Soldier Settlers, there were about 200 unoccupied blocks….a short time ago a committee was appointed by the Soldier Settlers to make a case to lay before the State Government.
1. The period for which the soldier settlers should have freedom from interest should be extended from 5 to 8 years. Now the fruit trees planted in soldier settlements were mainly apple trees and the soldier settlers had realised a well grown healthy apple tree would not be in full profit for about nine years.
2. The re-valuation of their blocks and improvements. It was fully realised that the loans with which they had been charged were far too high; chiefly because the period when the loan money had been spent on the orchards was the dearest in history. After the war, the returned soldiers got almost everything they asked for, but everything they go was debited to their accounts.
If one thing more than another had contributed to the failure of the settlement, it was the unsuitable trees that had been supplied… in regard to which the settlers had not been given a voice.
Mr W. Smaile states case for Soldier Settlers: “For instance, canning peaches had been supplied for planting. Demand throughout been taken out and those that grew had not fruited to any extent. Australia for apples was so great at the time that the nurseries could not supply it and any old thing was supplied.
3. Mr Pratten: When soldiers returned the Federal Government advanced £40-50 million for purpose of settling returned soldiers on land.
The Minister invited the soldiers to examine themselves to see whether any of the causes of failure were due to themselves.
Mr W. Ranger, Manager of COD said the case of soldier settlers was a tragic one, because they had spent 8-12 years of their lives in trying to make good.
Mr Pratten: In 15 years, the population had doubled. January 21: Stanthorpe Boys Colleges near Sentimental Rocks – official opening of new school buildings
January 28: Jubilee Show.
February 2: New Stanthorpe School of Arts Hall opened by the Minister for Education. Funded by £2200 loan from Public Curator.
February 2: Stanthorpe drainage scheme
February 11: Duke of York’s visit on Tuesday, April 5. Their Royal Highness are to meet returned soldiers, new settlers, school children and mothers of fallen soldiers on the railway station verandah facing town.
February 11: Jubilee Show 50 years of progress. Photographs of main street, Stanthorpe, 1873, Grooms Hotels, Maryland Street 1873, John De Poix Tyrel, G.E. Simcox, W.A. Noble. History of Show Society. Disastrous drought affects show.
Various speakers dilated upon the ancient character and absolute out-of-datedness of the present structure, to which various lean-tos had been added over 20 years to accommodate Lands, Mines and Justice Departments and recently the Agricultural Bank; further additions are to be made by use of a deserted soldier settlers cottage for use of Agricultural Department.
