FOR EX-SERVICEMEN

Grey River Argus, 19 May 1944, Page 2

FOR EX-SERVICEMEN

State Housing Being Found

MR. SEMPLE’S REPLY TO R.S.A.

P.A. WELLINGTON, May 18. The Minister o f Works, Hon. R. Semple, said to-day that if a repre; sentative of the Returned Services’ Association had approached the Prime Minister, who, as Minister in Charge of the State Advances Corporation, was responsible for the allocation of State rental houses, or himself as Minister in charge' of housing construction, any fears that the Association had regarding the occupation of State rental houses by service personnel plight .be allayed. “The Returned Services’ Association above all others,” said Mr. Semple, “should understand that accommodation had to be provided for the service personnel in the various categories when the war broke- out. Generally this was done by the erection of barracks. The Government, however, decided that, in certain areas, rather than erect barracks with no post-war use, it would be better -to erect blocks of State houses, and to use them temporarily as barracks, converting them to civilian use when they no longer were required by the Services. The position regarding the occupation of these blocks of State rental houses is being very closely watched, and as a matter of fact, at this moment, arrangements are being macle to transfer certain service personnel who are occupying State rental houses to other accommodation, which has become available as the result of the vacation of certain camp sites. As a result, thirteen blocks of State houses will be available very shortly thereafter, for occupation by civilians. Not 'every -block of State rental houses occupied by service personnel is to be vacated, since many of them require to be accommodated reasonably close to the work they are engaged upon, and since the nation has not yet ceased to be at war. All this information, and much more, would willingly have been made available to the Committee of the R.S.A. had it made a proper approach before it submitted its report to the Dominion Executive.”