SOLDIERS’ LOANS.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 November 1924, Page 4

SOLDIERS’ LOANS.

STATEMENT BY MINISTER. DUNEDIN. November 2f>. The lion A. D. Aid .end (Minister of I.anils) made a further statement ti'-ihiy on the subject of soldiers’ loans. Be s:ii;l that liming 1921 the Department bail granted oil" loans, amounting to £.";!>! ,O’M. This figure was much in excess of Die rep i.vmelit.r. received sin e April Ist of this year. To fulfil past commitments and li.ans to returned soldiers suffering from tuberculosis anil those with ol) per ccnl., or over, war dioibilily. Die Department had granted £f!S. 171.

Th’sOioUcd that (lie ( o werll tlloii I bad by no means i cased h'lnling money, ami vitb no new < :i] ital available it would be dangerous to extend loans liefoie the liabilities brought about bv revaluation bad been cleared off. The bulk of tlm woik of the I’evaluat ion lJeard would lie completed by the end of the year. Referring to the ipiestion of trans'Vrs to civilians, the Minister said the Department had stiffened up the granting of such trnnsl'eis. An examination of the figures for the first six mouths of ]!)l! I showed that a total of IKY! I rni infers of house property had heen made. Of this number 211 bad been to civilians and log to soldiers. While Ibis seemed to be a large percentage to civilians be, as Minister, found it extremely difficult to ckv/ide 1 when a civilian .should lie haired liom taking a tiansfer. because a large inimher of the transfers were made hy men working in the Public Service, in bank's, insurance, and similar offices, where men were shifted about the Dominion. It was difficult to say that a transfer should not he made to a civilian when there was no soldier available to pay the price. Tlipro was also the tliflic-ii.ltv of doe-

tors’ certificates. A soldier might bo ordered to some other town by a doctor because of his health, and wanted his transfer passed quickly so that he could get away

The Departmental officers and himself were always prepared to meet the requests of the Returned Soldiers’ Association in the direction of transfers, and he suggested that the Association might set up branches or offices whe.ro snldiei.s wanting to sell their houses con'd place their properties in the hands ef the Association to find purchasers. His Department would he willing to work in with such offices. This scheme might necessitate the taking out of the land a,gents' licenses, but it it was lor this purpose of mooting the requirements of soldiers it would not bo j licavv liabililv.

He was out to help returned soldiers, not only tbo.se who bad no bouses, but those who had. Ho would be only too*willing to assist in any workable scheme which the Returned .Soldiers’ Association might bring forward.