More State Houses For Ex-Servicemen

Grey River Argus, 10 May 1948, Page 8

More State Houses For Ex-Servicemen

WELLINGTON, May 4. With a further 192 allocations during March, the number of exservicemen who had until the end of that month received tenancies of State rental houses reached 8242. This is under the scheme whereby exservicemen are allocated at least half of all new ly vacant, or newly built State rental houses and flats, recommendations being made, on the basis of urgency, by the rehabilitation housing committe in each centre. Allocations to exservicemen during March were 97 more than those for February. The following are the district allocations to exservicemen as at the end of March, with those for March itself shown in parentheses: Auck-land-North Auckland 2427 (82), Wai-kato-Bay of Plenty 639 (12), Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay 351 (1), Taranaki 240 ( 8), Wellington Province (include ing Palmesrton North, Wanganui .and Masterton) 2912 (49), Nelson-Marlborough-Westland 189 (11), Canterbury Province 848 (27), ■ Otago Province 458 (3), Southland 178 (5): totals 8242 (198). Housing is still a real problem, but it is heartening to note that, during the past twelve months 8000 exservicemen have been given some form of housing assistance, said Mr B. Barrington, member of the Rehabilitation Board, seconding the adoption of the report by the chairman, the Hon. C. F. Skinner! at the quarterly meeting of the Rehabilitation Council. In the same period -there had been a decrease of 800 in the number of unsatisfied applications for State rental houses, while the number of State houses allocated to ex-servicemen during last December and January iiad been almost 100 more than the number allocated in the same months the year before. He hoped these indications would continue. With the main work either done or under way in the vocational training and educational fields, the remaining real problem was land settlement... There are still more than 5000 men to settle, although almost that number had already been placed on farms of their own. Nevertheless, whereas in January 1946 there was .74 per cent, of- the Graded A men awaiting settlement; the percentage in January 1947 was 65 and in January of this year it was 46. Lie felt that withdrawals by graded A men from the waiting list should cause more concern from now on than in the nast. Most of those who had withdrawn during the two years following their demobilisation' were not. he considered, sufficiently keen while a number had not seriously intended to settle on the land. Many keen men, however were now reaching the stage where their tge and family responsibilities would greatly influence their decision. Land settlement was not only a problem for experts but for all who could possioly assist. .

Mr Barrington referred to the facilities available to children of deceased or totally disabled servicemen. Advisory committees had been set up throughout New Zealand and the members of those committees were well qualified to advise both children and guardians. Close liaison was kept with the Heritage movement. He was sure the scheme would be a success. Several children of deceased servicemen would be attending university this year with assistance from the Rehabilitation Board. These children had had good scholastic records.