£6,507,574 IN LOANS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 100, 30 April 1945, Page 3

£6,507,574 IN LOANS

AIDING EX-SERVICEMEN

HOMES, FARMS, BUSINESSES P.A. WELLINGTON, Sunday. Loans to ex-servicemen and wopaen to the end of March totalled £6,507,574, said the Rehabilitation Department yesterday. This included £6,099,997 to men returned from overseas, £3766 to returned servieei women, £316,126 to " demobilised home servicemen and women, £26,5.90 to merchant seamen and £61,095 to war widows and dependents. Of 10,910 discharged members of the Services who have been financially assisted, 9834 have been overseas. The March loans total was £623,958, the highest yet for a single month, there being a marked increase in practically every department of rehabilitation assistance during March. By the end of March 2790 ex-ser-vicemen had been assisted to erect or purchase homes, including 782 new dwellings. Housing loans totalled £3,037,450, including 309 housing loans granted during March. Interest-free supplementary loans now granted for housing total 1302 to the value of £213.608. By the end of last month 1259 discharged members of the Services had been given business loans totalling £564,854. March saw 54 further servicemen, all returned from overseas, placed on farms, loans granted totalling £189,150. This brings the grand total to the end of March to 734 servicemen, including 709 returned men, aided to buy farms with loans totalling £2,374,142. A total of 5589 interest-free furniture loans has now been granted, totalling £509,713, while interest-free loans for tools of trade reached 433, totalling £12,908. Under the 50 per cent quota system a further 161 exservicemen and women were allocated State rental houses and $$ts during March, making 'the totalof houses 2936.