Assistance For Flood Sufferers

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 114, 15 May 1941, Page 6

Assistance For Flood Sufferers

Grants or Loans In Necessitous Cases ANNOUNCEMENT BY „ FINANCE MINISTER The following letter has been received from the Alinister of Finance (Hon. W. Nash) by Air. J. Hodgens, ALP.:— “I have much pleasure in informing you that Cabinet has approved of assistance being given to flood sufferers in the Alanawatu and ether districts on a basis similar to that granted to sufferers from x>revious floods. Brief particulars of the assistance approved by Cabinet are as follows: “(1) Damage to houses and furniture: (a) Grants to be made available in necessitous cases to repair furniture and replace household effects. (b) Loans to be granted to owners of houses in necessitous cases with interest at a net rate of 4 per cent, and repayable over a term of from five to ten years. “(2) Damage to farm lands: (a) That loans be made available to farmers in necessitous cases to meet the cost of flood damage repair work on the usual terms, that is, with interest at 4 per cent, and repayable over a term of from five to ten years, (b) Grants to be * available in necessitous cases to repair , furniture and replace household effects. (c) Wherever possible, men to be allocated from the Uuemx>loyment Register for flood damage repair work on farms. The men would work either under Scheme 13 or Scheme 48, depending on the circumstances of the case, and a decision to be left in the hands of & small committee in each district, consisting of the representative of the National Service Department and either a field inspector of the Lands Department or a farm appraiser of the State Advances Corporation. “Where loans are granted, some security will be asked for, but the form of the security will depend on the circumstances of each individual case and the matter will be discussed with the applicant by a Government officer before a recommendation is made to me. “I have arranged for a Treasury officer to go to Palmerston North as soon r - several applications for assist-an-3 have been received by Air. Alansford. This officer will investigate each application and I would appreciate it very much if you could co-operate with him, as this would facilitate the handling of the applications and would enable the job to be done very much quicker than would otherwise be the case.”