HOMES FOR WAR VETERANS

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26221, 19 September 1950, Page 8

HOMES FOR WAR VETERANS

SMALL INSTITUTES FAVOURED

The executive of the Christchurch Returned Services’ Association favours the erection of several small homes for war veterans in various parts of the country, in preference to one large home in each island. A decision to this effect was reached last evening, when the executive was asked for its views by the Dominion headquarters of the association. The Dominion headquarters of the association asked: “(1) Should the Patriotic and Canteen Fund Boards establish two veterans’ homes, one in each island, intended as permanent homes and/or temporary rest places accommodating up to 150 people North Island project to cost approximately £250,000 and the South Island project approximately £ 100,000; or (2) should there Be established throughout New Zealand six or eighs smaller homes with similar purposes—accommodating 30 to 40 people each, and costing about £20,000 to £30,000; or (3) should the boards adopt some other scheme with similar purposes.” The president (Mr H. E. Batchelor) said he was in favour of the idea of smaller homes. When men reached the age at which they might enter such homes, they generally had had a long association with some centre, said Mr Batchelor, and he did not think they w’ould be happy if they had to go to a home a long way from that centre. It was also his view that the smaller homes might become an established fact sooner than a larger home. Speaking in support of a single large home in each island, Messrs R. A. Nightingale and J. A. Bretherton said that the administration of the large homes would be less costly than that of the smaller units. Mr Bretherton also said thht it might be difficult to reach agreement on where the small homes were to be located, and in some of the smaller centres there might not be many veterans to use them. In reply to a questsion, the president said it was estimated that it would be eight or nine years before a large home could be established near Christchurch.