STATE ADVANCES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 151, 29 June 1927, Page 10

STATE ADVANCES.

DELAY TERMED INEVITABLE.

QUESTION OF PRIORITY.

ATTEMPTS TO "PROFITEER."

RBy Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

The question of the provision of additional money for State advances, so that people might build homes, was raised in the House this morning by Mr. P. Fraser (Lab.), who said that applications for advances were now 18 months behind.

The Hon. Mr. Downie Stewart, Minister of Finance, said the board could not help getting behind when the demand was so great. This year it had already made available £1,500,000. This sounded a small sum when it was remembered that £6,000,000 was the total amount provided in 1923. However, more money might be available if rural advances proved popular.

Regarding the question of priority of applications, the Minister said no mem- *?"?, ? a x invest igated the matter had failed to be satisfied when the superintendent of the Department had placed the facts before him. There were various reasons for holding up applications. When an applicant endeavoured ™- iJT!£L te 2! r i, on an earl y *PPKeati«m it might be held up. In cases of special hardship the attention of the board was directed to it, but the Minister received more complaints because he had not than because he had interfered. He promised that he would speak more iullv later in the session.