ADVANCES TO WORKERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 228, 19 June 1908, Page 8

ADVANCES TO WORKERS.

AN IMPORTANT PROVISION. . ; An important_ provision ,of tho regulations in connection with tho Government's advances, to workers' system is that mortgages aro prepared and completed by the Advances, to ' Sottlers Office free of charge to mortgagors.' No procuration fee, commission, or charge for obtaining a loan should bo paid .to any person, and no professional .assistance is necessary, aud no chargo is authorised for tho filling-in of the application form. These provisions wore made so that the worker should reap all tho benefits possible from tho system, but Mr. P. Heyes, superintendent of the office, states that many;of tho workers forgo this privilege by. making their applications through solicitors.. Ono solicitor is- alleged to have charged a man £12 for application costs, though all bo had to do was to post tho form to . tho Government office,/whore tho : business was' dispatchod free of co3t/to anyone.: In viow of this and other cases, the Dopartment has decided, in tho caso of fntnro applications made through solicitors, to notify the mortgagors immediately that it will not . proceed with tho, mortgage _excoptinp, in reply to personal application. A useful consolidation . of tho Advances to • Settlors . and ,Workers ' 'Acts, in which the free .provisions are strongly emphasised, has been publish©] in pamphlet form by the Department. „