RETURNED MEN’S HOUSES

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24570, 19 May 1945, Page 8

RETURNED MEN’S HOUSES

148 LOANS IN CHRISTCHURCH THIS YEAR Returned servicemen in* Christchurch have been given rehabilitation loans to build 40 houses and to buy 108 since the beginning of the year. These figures were given yesterday by the chairman of the Christchurch Rehabilitation Committee (Mr G. w. Dell). Mr Dell said that, speaking generally, rehabilitation was functioning smoothly. Housing was still the biggest problem, but, since the executive loans committee was set up in C.hristchurph, the machinery for granting loans had been speeded up. It was possible to grant a loan with n a, few days in an urgent case, but something else had to wait while it was being put through. The average time for granting a loan which could be dealt with by the local committee was about 10 days. The utmost co-operation had been received from the State Advances Corporation. The loans granted so far this ytfar showed how men were taking advantage of the improved facilities and lower interest rates, said Mr Dell., It meant that 148 families, only a small proportion of which would have been able to buy houses without rehabilitation, were well on the way to owning their own homes. In .addition, servicemen had received 50 per cent, of the State houses available for renting. *