REHABILITATION PLAN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIII, Issue 236, 3 September 1943, Page 5

REHABILITATION PLAN

REPORT ON PROGRESS

(Press Assn.) ASHBURTON, Sept. 3. The Minister of Rehabilitation (Major Skinner) addressed a meeting last evening, outlining the Govern-. ment's plans for post-war reconstruction in the Dominion. Already out of 214 applications 100 soldiers had been assisted on to freehold property, he said; 33 had received 100 per cent, of the loan money to buy new homes; 269 had received similar assistance to buy existing houses; and 14 leasehold farms had been balloted for and men placed on them in the last few days. Major Skinner said the Government would not place a man in an uneconomical proposition. Of the 114 applications declined 49 had been refused because the farms were not suitable or the men were not fit to work the types, of farm they sought. Others were rejected owing to lack of knowledge of-farming, and some of these were being put into the farm training scheme. Seventy-four returned men had been helped into businesses and 74 more assisted to take university courses. Of the 24,000 men who had returned to New Zealand 13,000 had gone back to their old jobs without rehabilitation assistance, 1300 had gone.back to their own businesses, and 312 were still undecided about the future. The Government was. going to appoint rehabilitation officers overseas to travel on hospital ships and make contact with the men daily so that preparations could be made to help them when they arrived. Major Skinner denied that the Land Sales Bill was an attempt to socialise land. The only one who objected to the Bill was the would-be speculator. A-vote of thanks and confidence in the party was carried.