STATE HELP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 July 1942, Page 3

STATE HELP

IN REPAIRING EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE ARRANGEMENTS EXPLAINED BY PREMIER. LOANS ON EASY TERMS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Arrangements that had been made for financial assistance to those who suffered in the recent earthquake were explained by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when replying to an urgent question asked by Mr McKeen (Government, Wellington South). Mr M'cKeen had asked the Prime Minister whether he would immediately consider the advisability of introducing a scheme similar to that adopted in the case of the Hawke’s Bay earthquake, whereby grants up to £lOO were made to owners to enable them to make good the damage to their houses.

“For instance, in the Wellington South Electorate there are streets with not one single chimney left standing,” said Mr McKeen, “and these homes are occupied by working people who cannot afford to meet the cost of immediate and essential repairs.” Mr McKeen added in a note to his question that in the case of the Hawke’s Bay earthquake loans free of interest up to £lOO a house were made out of funds subscribed by the public; the loans were stated to be repayable in 12 months, but in all cases they were written off at the expiration of this period. Mr Fraser said that immediately after the recent earthquake the Government arranged for the local authorities to be advised of the proposed procedure for making essential repairs to dwellings, namely, roof repairs and replacement, of one chimney, and for the provision of any Government financial assistance for that purpose which might be warranted in cases of hardship. In such cases it was contemplated that assistance would be' given in the form of loans on reasonable terms, but it would be necessary for all applications to be made to the local authority, which had been requested to undertake any urgent essential repairs, to recover payment wherever possible, and to report to the Government on any cases of financial hardship. The Prime Minister said that in cases where the damage to dwellings was greater than that covered by the foregoing and the owner was unable to meet the cost from his own resources, the Government was prepared to advance the necessary moneys on reasonable terms as to repayment and interest. The matter of interest would be looked into. This procedure followed that adopted in all previous cases of floods, earthquakes, arid similar disasters where public moneys 1 were applied in assistance of sufferers. The principle that had been adopted was to get the job done and look into the question of repayment later. Replying to an interjection by Mr Doidge (Opposition, Tauranga), who asked- why the War Damage Insurance Fund could not be used, the Prime Minister said that as the War Damage Act stood at present that could not be done. The Act applied to war damage, and till such time as that was provided for it would be wrong to use the fund for earthquake damage unless the House was prepared to impose an additional premium for that purpose. However, he was quite prepared to discuss the question at a suitable time.