UNFIT EX-SERVICE MEN

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 61, 22 February 1934, Page 9

UNFIT EX-SERVICE MEN

Cottage Homes Proposal

£20,000 SCHEME IN HAND

By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, Feb. 21.

Details of a scheme lor the construo. tion of cottage homes for aged and unfit ex-service men were placed before the New Zealand Expeditionary Force Canteen and Regimental Funds Trust Board by a deputation from the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association at the annual meeting in Wellington to-day. The scheme provide* for th* erection of cottage homes on an are* of 15 acres made available by the Christchurch City Council.

After going fully into the details the board expressed itself very favourably impressed, and decided to make a grant of £l5OO to assist in initiating the scheme, subject to a grant being also made by the National War Fund* Council. The question of future assistance from the Canteen Board up to * total of £5OOO in all is to be favourably considered later as the scheme progresses. The scheme briefly i s to build small modern cottages of two rooms, kitchenette, bathroom, etc., to accommodate returned soldier* becoming prematurely aged and hopelessly unfit, who have no financial resources and who cannot qualify for a pension sufficient for their economic requirements. It is proposed tc build cottage* as required, but a detailed plan of the village settlement provides for a total of 93 cottages with a central administration block containing reading, social and writing rooms and the caretaker's cottage. It is estimated thai the finalised scheme will cost £20,000, and the Christchurch executive hopes to raise this amount by appeals to other inter, ested bodies and by obtaining an allocation from art unions. It is understood that the scheme is supported by the Christchurch City Council, and also has the backing of a strong citizens’ committee which i* to control it until completion and then hand it over to the Returned Soldiers’ Association for administration and management.