ANOTHER RECORD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 36, 18 January 1946, Page 6

ANOTHER RECORD

FIGURES FOR NOVEMBER REHABILITATION AID The steep upward trend in rehabilitation authorisations oi' loans to ex-servicemen and women continued during November, says the monthly review issued by the Re- 1 habilitation Department. For the second successive month the £1,000.,000 mark was passed, a new record being created of • £1,258,772, as

against tlie previous month’s record total of £1,139,821. This brought the grand total of authorisations made until the. end of November to £l2 610,929. During November 1602 ex-servicemen and women were assisted financially, compared with 1528 for October, and bringing the total of those so far assisted to 20 106. These comprised 18,278 men returned from overseas, 25 returned service women, 1545 discharged home service personnel, 68 merchant seamen and 190 dependants of. deceased servicemen.

The main increase was again shown in assistance towards building and buying houses which accounted for almost half of the month's auth-* orisations. There were 527 exservicemen and women assisted in this way during November, involving authorisations to a value of £599,554. Of these 185 (£263,034) were for building new bouses and 342 (£336,-* 470) for tlie purchase of existing dwellings. The corresponding figures for October, themselves a record, were 145 (£203 815), 313 (£310,691)

total 458 (£514,506). During November 302 supplementary housing loans valued at £43,869 were authorised. These loans are meant to bridge the gap between pre-war values and present day costs. Until the end of November for housing purposes, there had been 3156 issued valued at £486,913.

Farm loans were authorised in the case of 108 ex-servicemen, including two home servicemen, during November. This brought the number assisted to establish themselves on the land to 1418, comprising 1383 returned servicemen, 31 home servicemen, three merchant seamen and one dependant of a deceased serviceman. The value of the farm loans for November wasj £183,016, bringing the total value to £5,014,225.

A further JBl ex-servicemen, including eight home servicemen were given financial authorities to establish themselves in businesses- during the month under review, the amount involved being £105,979. Altogether 2322 ex-servicemen ami women have so far been assisted in this way, for the outlay of £1,134,1881-

Authorisations for free-of-interest furniture loans up to £IOO each showed another sharp increase during November when 734 were issued, 97 of the applicants being home servicemen. The value of these loans was £67.301. The number of ex-servicemen , and women assisted by w r ay of furniture loans until November 30 ivas 9728, the amount advanced being £888,991. Other financial assistance rendered during November included 41 free of inter-* est loans for the purchase of tools of trade, involving £1645 and bringing the total authorised to date to 677 (£21,350). There vrere also eight miscellaneous advances to a value of £1277 for the month.