REHABILITATION LOANS

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 October 1944, Page 3

REHABILITATION LOANS

DECENTRALISATION PLAN

INVERCARGILL, October 23

“We are going to do something which has never been attempted in New Zealand before by any government or bank or other financial organisation. In order to improve the process of rehabilitation we are going to decentralise by the establishment of district executives with power to authorise all forms of financial assistance by way of loans,” said the Minister of Rehabilitation (Mr. Skinner) in a statement to-day. The innovation would begin in Auckland on November 1, said Mr. Skinner, and would- be extended to Christchurch early in December, and to other centres, such as Dunedin, to Invercargill and Hamilton, early in the new year. Ultimately, and as soon as practicable, district executives would be established in branch districts of the State Advances Corporation. For greater convenience and expedition the new executives would be empowered to authorise all loans, provided that the decisions were unanimous, failing which the case would have to be referred to the Rehabilitation Loans for a direction. The confirmation of the Loans Committee would also have to be obtained before a loan application could be declined by a district executive. All decisions dealing with loans would have io be reported by district executives to the Loans Committee, which would issue any general directions if such a course were necessary. “The personnel of district executives will include representatives of the State Advances Corporation, the Minister of Rehabilitation, and local rehabilitation committees,” said Mr. Skinner. “One of the three will be appointed chairman by myself as Minister of Rehabilitation, in consultation with the Minister of Finance. “We have been criticised by many people, including the Returned Services’ Association, for the delay in setting up this decentralised organisation,” said Mr. Skmner; “but I would point out that it is not a mattor that can easily or lightly be disposed of in view of the tremendous importance of the job of rehabilitating our servicemen and women. We had to be quite certain the system would work for their benefit, and that we would be getting the best possible men to sit in the district executives. Millions have been spent, and many more millions will be spent before we restore the members of our armed forces satisfactorily to their places in civil life, and quite apart from the question of safeguarding the ordinary taxpaying community who are finding the money, we must above all consider what is best for the man or woman requiring assistance. For his or her own sake we must' be reasonably sure that the type of assistance -asked for is in the interests of the applicant, as w.ell as the nation.”