STATE ADVANCES.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 August 1924, Page 4

STATE ADVANCES.

HOM K-BCI bDERS WAITING. WELLINGTON. Aug. 22. Tin* Leader of the Opposition (.Mr T. ; M. Wilford) fiVited in the House of Representatives to-day that it had been brought to his notice that builders, speculators, and others had been taking advantage of the announcement made by the Government that advances would he found to enable workers to build homes by offering to sell sections to people who lmd not homes, and telling them there would he no difficulty whatever in building. A case had just been put before him in which a man had actually mortgaged his furniture to pay C'n!) down to a speculator for a section. Tile result was that t.lio man's money was gone. It, is furniture mortgaged, and there was no chance of his getting money for months to come if lie put in an application now. Would the Prime Minister, he asked, make it clear to the people that- there were a sufficient number of applications already in ic keep tin* Advances Department occupied for many months, and that new applicants lmd no chance of getting money ? The Prime Minister said that he had not heard of such a case as that, hut he knew iiliat a good many unwise tilings hail beam done by people who hail been looking ILrward to being :il h> to take advantage of the Advances Department to borrow money to build homes. So far as speculation was concerned. tin* Government was not going to have it. The Government lmd no money for speculators, and In* had instructed the Department that it was not to encourage speculators or to do anything in the way of bringing si Lout a boom, lit* was sorrv for the person referred to. hut could not see that, lie could do anything for him. lie had tried to make it clear' tlmti tin* Department was doing its best to keep abreast ct the applications. but Ik* believed there were applications enough now to keep the Department going for the next* two or three months without any others culling in. Mr Wilford : Ten months? .Mr Massey: No, I have a better idea of il than that*. If the hnituurjihle member asked for a return, la* would be glad to supply information showing that what he lmd said was. cnrivct. Mr S. (i. Smith snid tl:o Department was a very long time in dealing with applications. I here wet** verv great delays. Mr Massey (warmly): The hon'UirnMe memh-'r has been doing till lie call to discredit lie.* Department ami the Government, lie added that- the Department. had authorised at least 10.Iyy) applications, and 8000 applicants lmd already got money. M r Smith : \\ lio ? Mr Massey: The people who deserve it. Mr Wilford: Well, don't get angry. Alt* Alasse.v: It is enough to make anyone angry when such remarks arc made acro-s tin* 11-e.ir of the House. The Department, he maintained, had done wonders, and he might have another announcement to make within a week or si. At all events, the Department lmd enough money in hand to go on at tlm present rate.