BUSINESS LOANS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10540, 17 March 1920, Page 5

BUSINESS LOANS

PASSED BY REPATRLiTION

BOARD. SOLDIER SAWMILIiERS. . ■ A lengthy mooting of. the Uinisterial Repatriation Board was held yesterday morning. Sir William Eraser presided, and the other Ministers preUnt were:—The Hons. D. H. Guthrie and J. O. Coates. A large number of applications for business loans were- considered, the board approving of no. fewer than IST grants,to different soldiers, entailing total loans oi A special feature of the business ol the iboard was the consideration of a sawmill proposition on the West Coast. About a dozen returned soldiers had formed a private company, a sawmill license had been issued to them to cut timber on an area «' some 630 acres close to Hokltiktt. Royalty will be payable to the Oovernment at' fixed rates, and to assist the men to necuro'the necessary plant a 10/n of £3OO was granted to each of the soldiers interested. The. timber is chiefly >white pine, and the estimated quantity is approximately 8* million feet. All the men are »aid to be capsJblo and experienced in sawmilling, and well known to each othe»v The initiation of the scheme was shepherded bv the repatriation committee at Hokitika, and it was recommended by the Canterbury District Board. The volume of yesterday's business shows that there is still a great deal pf work for tho board to do. Dealing with the 137 loons involved a considerable amount of correspondence and other n-ork, particularly for the local committees and the district 'boards.