KIWI SETTLERS’ FLOOD TROUBLES MAY BE REVIEWED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22890, 9 March 1949, Page 6

KIWI SETTLERS’ FLOOD TROUBLES MAY BE REVIEWED

Representations made to the Minister of Finance during his visit to Gisborne yesterday on behalf of Kiwi settlers in the flood area elicited a promise that if cases of financial loss through last year’s flood remained to be dealt with, they would receive consideration.

On the initiative of the Gisborne Returned Services' Association, the Minister was informed that in the weeks immediately after the flood the cases of the Kiwi sufferers were dealt with generally in conjunction with those of non-service people.

The association felt that the district flood-relief committee, on which individual returned servicemen worked,

could handle the situation adequately. This expectation had been borne out so far as the distribution of funds contributed locally were concerned, but the association was under the impression that many Kiwi and Digger settlers had not applied for State relief because they thought their own losses were outside the scope of the State scheme. Privately-Financed Settlers

Returned Servicemen who were operating with Government loans were well catered for, it was understood, but those who were working on private capital felt in many cases that they could not qualify for relief under the Government scheme. The delegation asked whether, if such cases came to light, the Minister would give them consideration with a view to grants or loans.

In reply, Mr. Nash emphasised his opinion that ample publicity had been given to the scope of the State Relief scheme for flood sufferers, and that the scheme itself had been wide enough to include all losses attributable to the disaster.

He said, however, that if the Gisborne Returned Services’ Association or individual members submitted cases which had not been dealt with to date, or cases in which the aid extended appeared to be inadequate, they would be reviewed by his department.