STATE ADVANCES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 137, 6 December 1929, Page 13

STATE ADVANCES

NOT PAIR.RUN UNDER REFORM

rho Advances to Settlers and Workers' Department, established by fm-_ Joseph Ward many years ago to assist farmers and workers to have tarms and homes of their oivn had not had a fair run under the Reform Government, declared Mr. J Kerr (United) at his Waiwetu meeting last night. b

When the United Party took over from the Reform Government last December, he said-, it found that the State Advances Office had a credit of £450,000; but as against that there had been piled up applications to the amount of over £.3,000,000. The Advances Department had not had a faildeal, and many people had been denied tho privileges and advantages it had been sot up to provide. Immediately on assuming office, however, Sir Joseph Ward had put to the credit of the Department £4,000,000, with tho result that the piled-up applications were granted, people were able to acquire their homes, and workers in the build-

ing trade became busy. (Applause.) But that was not sufficient, so Sir Joseph had put another £4,000,000 to tho credit of tho Department, so that the young people were able to get their homes and get married. (Applause.) During the last ten months of the Reform Government 1661 settlers received advanes totalling £2,172,000 and 1809 workers received loans totalling £1,219,000; or a total of 3470 persons received loans amounting in all to £3,391,000. But in tho first ten mouths of tho "United Government 30S0 settlers had received advances totalling £-3,740,000, and 3948 workers had received grants totalling £.3,374,000. Thus no loss than 702S persons had received in all ths sum of £7,114,000. So that in that short period the United Party had increased the State loans to more than double tho advances made by tho Eeform Party in the previous ten months, enabling over 7000 people to acquire their homes or stock their farms and become well-contented residents of the Dominiou. (Applause.) Mr. Kerr quoted figures showing a similar difference with regard to the Hutt electorate; 228 persons having received grants totalling £207,000 in the last ten months of the Eeform regime, as against 581 persons receiving loans totalling £581,000 in tho first ten months of the United Government. Those items alone, ha said, should be sufficient to induce the people to vote solidly and heartily for the United Party. (Applause.)

Mr. j. W. Andrews presided over an attendance of some forty people, and at the close a vote of thanks to and confidence in the candidate was carried unanimously on the motion of Mrs. Joyce.