Soldiers’ Rehabilitation

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 308, 23 September 1943, Page 6

Soldiers’ Rehabilitation

Sir, —When the Prime Minister anil other Government agents, during mobilization, promised to give the men “generous and sympathetic treatment” after the war they showed a recognition that, the men would suffer, and their repeated promise became a contract, lit lor assessment in a law court. Knowing what war involves, no law court would award the average soldier less would aggregate 1060 millions or 100.000 men and perhaps be considered impructicLet us examine, however, how far the Governineut has gone to compromise agMiist ihis actual gift, of £lO,OOO per man. The Rehabilitation Board, speaking for tlie Government, said “the State Advances Corporation will take care of the financial welfare of the soldiers. And the Corporation immediately announced that it would lend up to £3500 to, put a man on a farm, under a 30 years table mortgage at 4 1-8 per cent, interest.. Several things need noticing. It is not a gift: it is a loan. It is not lent to the soldier but paid away by the Corporation in buying the land and paying mens wa°es in equipping it. lhe soldier does not" handle it. After the transaction is complete the tightest grip on the land is in possession of the lending Corporation which holds the mortgage deed. What the soldier has is a big debt and an interest burden. Let us suppose, the Corporation lends (for easy reckoning) £3‘'OO each to 106,000 returned men for farms, businesses. State houses. Rolls Royces, etc. (why not?). Under the table mortage each one would have to pav back (he £3200 advanced and also £2400 extra (which (bey never borrowed) on nceount of interest. This is lhe Government’s scheme. It reneges shamelessly on its promise of a ‘‘generous and s.\nipathetic treatment” which 1 have suggested meant, a gift of £lO.OOO. It: refuses to make a gift at all. except a little chicken feed to buy furniture, tools, etc. And. finallv, it stealthily wraps up, m a laud nioi-fm'-e deed, a plan to squeeze out a profit" of £2400 per man. On the 100,000 mon we started reckoning on, this rakeoff would total £240,000,000. While mterest on money borrowed from savings is proper, there is no case for interest on monev the Government certainly would not borrow but; print. The 240 millions would be a sheer unearned and wicked rake-off. . . ... Il is untrue that bad larnnng, or liiglt land cost- last lime caused the soldiers to walk off. It «’as dim to interest, ar-i-otirs.—l am. etc., ARI HUR, SAINSBURY', Dominion President, A.Z. Small Farms’ League. Otahiihu. September -0.