COTTAGE HOMES SCHEME

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21320, 13 November 1934, Page 10

COTTAGE HOMES SCHEME

GRANT BY RETURNED SOLDIERS SUM OF £5500 WILL BE RELEASED

| By five votes to three, the executive of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association decided last 'evening to allocate the sum of £250 for subsidies on the wages of returned soldiers employed on necessary work on the cottage homes settlement at Sandilands. It was stated that this sum, with £250 granted by the Canterbury Patriotic Fund, would release £l5O0 'granted by the Canteen Funds Board, £ISOO granted by the National War Funds Council, and £2500 allocated from an art union, each of which was contingent on funds being raised in other directions. Mr A. W. Mewton, chairman oi the finance com-.ittee, said that tlui committee had not met, but he thought the executive should consider the allocation suggested, ine sum of £250 could be allocated from the No. 2 account for use through the association's employment office on essential work connected with the settlement scheme. There would be a great deal of work at the settlement on which returned soldier tradesmen could be employed, and such a step would relieve the burden on the employment office of obtaining work for former servicemen. With £250 from another source, the balance of moneys promised by the National War Funds Council and the Canteen Funds Board, would become available. "It is K '- " •'■■ nee—juggling witn the association's money," declared Mr E. Orchard, in opposing the motion. . .

The s"- •■— fMr TT \ F. Willcox) said that there was money waiting for the scheme provHed a certain amount was raised locally. The president (the Rev. F. T. Read) said that the condition attached to the granting of that money was that £SOO should be raised locally. Mr Mewton said that Mr Orchard misunderstood the purpose of the grant. It was for the assistance of unemployed soldiers as well as for the furthering of the settlement scheme.

Mr Orchard repeated that it was "high finance." The idea was to get £SOO to give the financial scheme a start. How would the scheme g3t on if it did not have that fund? Would it be possible to get it anywhere else? Mr Willcox: There is £ISOO waiting for us in Wellington withoutany restri" 4 :'^"*. Mr Orchard: You have gone so far now that it seems impossible to turn back. I am opposed to the Scheme as I believe it will be a white elephant.

Mr A. L. Emerson: Even if it. is a white elephant we should support it if it gives assistance to returned soldiers.

LAYING OP FOUNDATION STONE

CEREMONY TO BE PERFORMED

BY DUKE Advice that his Royal Highness, the Duke of Gloucester, had consented to lay the foundation stone of the administration block of the returned soldiers' settlement scheme at Sandilands' on Monday, January 21, at 3 p.m., was contained in a letter from Mr Malcolm Fraser, Under-Secretary to the Department of Internal Affairs, which was received by the executive of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers' Association last evening. It was suggested that the ceremony should take about 15 minutes. Mr T. L. Drummond said that there was no doubt that the influence of Mr Malcolm Fraser had been responsible for this timely assistance to the scheme, and on his motion it was decided to record appreciation of Mr Fraser's assistance. A committee was appointed to make arrangements for the ceremony, Mr W. E. Leadley remarking that it had been made plain to the association that the ceremony should be informal and should not exceed 15 minutes.