REHABILITATION LOANS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25674, 24 October 1944, Page 4

REHABILITATION LOANS

DECENTRALISED SYSTEM APPOINTMENT OF DISTRICT EXECUTIVES (P.A.) INVERCARGILL, Oct. 23. “We are going to do something which has never been attempted in New Zealand before by any Government, or bank, or other financial organisation. In order to improve the process of rehabilitation we are going to decentralise our system by the establishment of district executives, with power to authorise all forms of financial assistance by way of loans,” said the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr C. F. Skinner, in a statement to-day.

The innovation would begin in Auckland on November 1, said Mr Skinner. It would be extended to Christchurch early in December, and to the other centres, such as Dunedin, Invercargill, and Hamilton, early in the New Year. Ultimately, and as soon as practicable, district executives would be established in branch districts of the State Advances Corporation.

The new executives, the Minister said, would be empowered to authorise all loans provided that their decisions were unanimous, failing which the case would have to be referred to the Rehabilitation Loans Committee for a direction. The confirmation of the Loans Committee tvould also have to be obtained before a loan application could be declined by a district executive. All decisions dealing with loans would have to be reported by the district executives to the Loans Committee, which would issue any general directions if such action was necessary.

“ The personnel of the district executives will include representatives of the State Advances Corporation, the Minister of Rehabilitation, and the local rehabilitation committees,” said Mr Skinner. “One of the three will be appointed chairman by myself as Minister of Rehabilitation in consultation with the Minister of Finance. “We have been criticised by many people, including the Returned Services’ Association, for delay in setting up this decentralised . organisation.” said Mr Skinner, “but I would point out that it is not a matter that can be easily or lighly disposed of. In view of the tremendous importance of the job of rehabilitating our service men and women we had to be quite certain that the system would work for their benefit and that we would be getting the best possible men to sit on the district executives.

“Millions of pounds have been spent and many more millions will be spent before we restore the members of our armed forces satisfactorily to places in civil life, and, quite apart from the question of safeguarding the ordinary tax-paying community, which is finding the money, we must above all consider what is best for the man or woman requiring assistance," the Minister concluded. “ For his or her own sake we must be reasonably sure that the type of assistance asked for is in the interests of the applicant as well as the nation.”