What action did the new foreign investors attempt with regard to the squatters?

The correct answer highlights the conflict between new foreign investors and existing land occupants, commonly known as squatters. The foreign investors, viewing themselves as having legitimate claim to the land, often sought to establish control over the properties for their own economic ventures. This typically involved efforts to evict squatters, who had settled on the land, sometimes illegally or without formal recognition of their claims. The eviction attempts were motivated by the investors’ desire to utilize the land for agriculture, mining, or other commercial purposes, which clashed with the squatters' more informal and traditional claims to the land.

The other options, while relevant to land use dynamics, do not accurately capture the primary aim of the foreign investors in this context. Setting up jobs or establishing trading posts would imply an intent to integrate or cooperate with the squatters, which is contrary to the aim of evicting them. Subdividing land grants into housing subdivisions might suggest an interest in developing the land further, but it does not directly relate to the immediate confrontation with the squatters, which centered on displacement rather than development for existing residents.