ASSISTING SOLDIERS.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 713, 10 March 1922, Page 6

ASSISTING SOLDIERS.

THE RECORD TO DATE.

OVER ’£28,500,000 ADVANCED.

The total number of returned soldiers assisted by the Lands Department and Repatriation Department up to January 31st, was 77,934. The Lands Department assisted 9485 men to acquire rural homes, and 10,671 to acquire town homes, while the Repatriation Department placed in employment 26,439, ! provided training for 7432, and gave financial assistance to 23,997. On the purchase of etates under the Land foil Settlement Act, £6,015,497 was expended ; advances for pux-chase of land, dwellings, land stock, and for improve-

ments under the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act, 1917, totalled £20,357,332 ; and loans for businesses, furniture, tools, etc.,, and other financial assistance, amounted to £2,166,462 ; making up grand total of £28,539,291.

Under that branch of the repatriation scheme ■which is concerned with the settlement of rural land 2095 men were settled on 499,000 acres of “settlement land,” 1736 were placed on 1,629,000 acres of Crown and, and 5654 were financially assisted to acquire 1,275,000 acres of private land. Thd total of £2o,3s7,332—mentioned above—was made up as follows : Advances towards purchase of private or native land, 4057 j authorisations, representing £6,728,264; advance towards purchase of Crown leaseholds 1105, representing £1,618,548; advances to discharge mortages to enable soldiers to acquire private ladns, 496, representing £422,- j 542; advances for(purchase of stock I and improvements, 9531, representing £2,880,322; towards purchase or erection of twon dwellings, 10,671, representing £7*707,656. The advance actually paid over totalled £19,538,720, made up as follows : I

Current account, £3,251,281 ; farms, etc. £8,755,622; dwellings, £9,251,817. At January 31st, £1,354,666 of the £19,358,720 paid over for the purpose of town and rural homes, and for improvements and stock had Tjeen repaid.

The average advance towards 'the purchase of private or native land was £1659; the average advance for the purchase of stock and for improvements was £626 on settlement land and £289 on private land ; while the average advance towards the pur-

chase or erection of twon dwellings was £722.