BUILDING OCCUPIED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21933, 30 January 1946, Page 7

BUILDING OCCUPIED

HOSPITAL ANNEXE EX-SERVICEMAN AND WIFE TIRED OF DELAYS (P.A.) HAMILTON, Jan. 20. An ex-servicemen with his wife and 14-months-old child was last night installed in premises long occupied by the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a hospital block annexe to the central camp at the corner of Angclsca street and Clarence street, Hamilton. Occupation was undertaken by the Hamilton branch of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force Association, or rather the executive, which, tired of delays in making at least some pro vision for homeless people, particularly ex-servicemen and their dependants, ook action themselves. A large motor vehicle manned by about a dozen willing workers cm at the temporary lodging of the homeless couple and transported all theft furniture and furnishings to the hospital block, which, it was claimed, had been unoccupied for nearly three months for no apparent reason and vithin the space of a few minutes everything was placed in the building. The selected servicemen and his wile were quickly installed and advised to stay there until the Government saw fit to provide them with a State house. Lodging in Overcrowded Home Then the executive repaired to its headquarters in Victoria street and put an urgent telephone call through to the acting Prime Minister, Mr. W. Nasn, to tell him what had been done amwhv it was done. As far as can be ascertained, the serviceman returned from overseas last September to his wife and child and was soon discharged from the armed forces. In the meantime his wife and child had been lodging w: relatives in a grossly overcrowded home for there were six adults and a child occupying two bedrooms in a State house in Hamilton. Application had been made to tne State Advances Department lor a home and, despite numerous inquiries, there was little result. More leceruly Uie ex-serviceman had been given to understand that there was little or no prospect of obtaining a State house in Hamilton for at least a year because others considered to be in greatei need were to be given priority.