REHABILITATION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 232, 30 September 1944, Page 6

REHABILITATION

LOANS AND FARMS

NEARLY 2000 HOUSES (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Latest returns supplied by the Rehabilitation Department show that to the end of August the number of New Zealand servicemen and servicewomen demobilised totalled 51,311, of whom 28,236 had returned from overseas, the balance having been on home service. During August 1496 personnel from overseas were demobilised, and 643 who had been on home service, making a total for the month 2139.'

To date 6422 rehabilitation loans have been authorised of a total value of £3,676,180. The loans have been for farms (481 applicants and value of £1,485,787), erection of houses (301 and £389,825), purchase of houses (1201 and £1,184,525), purchase of businesses (716 and £293,756), purchase of furniture (3442 and £311,915), tools of trade (260 and £7793). Since the inception of- the rehabilitation allowance scheme from March 1, 1943, to August 12 last the amount disbursed for this purpose has been £318,777. Special grants by the Rehabilitation Board of varying amounts total £3526.

The number of State rental houses and flats allocated to returned servicemen, widows- of deceased servicemen and- wives of prisoners of war up to the end of August totalled 1975, this total including 134 units allocated during last month. There are still 4054 applications from exservicemen which had not yet been satisfied, as against 31,524 applications still pending from civilians. There are 124 servicemen from the present war undergoing training at the vocational training centres established in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill. A total of 754 servicemen have been granted educational facilities of various kinds. Applications to date for farm training total 521, of which 464 have been approved. At present 180 men are under training, of which 102 are with private farmers.

Up to the end of August 57,600 acres of land had been purchased under the Small Farms Act for subdivision for the settlement of exservicemen. The area, it is stated, will provide approximately 200 economic units, excluding an undetermined number of irrigation units on 8000-9000 acres of the ValettaTinwald block in Canterbury, which cannot be developed until water is available from the Rangitata diversion race. The Crown has acquired 22 single-unit properties under the Servicemen's Settlement and Land Sales Act, and nine other properties which are stated to be capable of subdivision and will provide 22 units. " The report states that the number of amputees from this war now totals 298.