EX-SERVICEMEN

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 47, 24 February 1945, Page 9

EX-SERVICEMEN

ALLOCATION OF HOUSES

Latest figures released by the Rehabilitation Department show that from the inception of the scheme up to the end of January, 4987 ex-ser-vicemen and their dependants had been assisted to obtain homes by the board. Of this number, 2680 were allotted State rental houses and flats, and 2307 were granted loans for the purchase or erection of dwellings. In January, 69 State houses and flats were allocated to returned servicemen, widows of ex-servicemen, and wives of prisoners of war, out of a total of 135 lettings for the Dominion. The preference rate of 50 per cent, for returned servicemen and dependants was., thus slightly exceeded last month.

"The allocations for January showed a substantial drop from the figure for December," said the Minister of Rehabilitation (Mr. Skinner) last evening, "last month's fgures being, in fact, less than half those for the previous month. This was almost entirely due, however, to the Christmas holiday period, and the original rate will soon be restored and, in fact, exceeded. As it is, we are still more or less holding our own with the number of new applications coming in every month, and as soon as the war situation causes an easing in the material and labour shortages, we shall forge ahead with our building programme."

Allocations to ex-servicemen to January 31 are as follows:—Auckland 811, Hamilton 216, Napier 138, New Plymouth 80, Wellington 873, Nelson 51, Christchurch .273, Dunedin 174, Invercargill 641