AID FOR SOLDIERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25852, 24 May 1945, Page 4

AID FOR SOLDIERS

REHABILITATION FINANCE LOANS TOTAL £7,140,124 (P.A.) WELLINGTON. May 23. A still greater increase is shown in the amount of finance authorised by way of loans to ex-servicemen and women during April, states the monthly review of the Rehabilitation Department. The total fer April was £632,550, which was the highest so far recorded for any single month, exceeding the previous highest total—for March of this year—by almost £B6OO. This brings the amount authorised, till the end of April to £7,140,124. Of this total £6,712,105 has been granted to ex-servicemen returned from overseas and £3864 to returned servicewomen. Demobilised home servifi# personnel had till the same date be®3» advanced £330,836, merchant seamed £27,832, and war widows and dependents £65,487. Altogether 11,760 exservicemen and women had till tn* end of April been assisted financially, including, apart from merchant se&* men, 10,622 who had served abroad. Advances for Housing

The number of ex-servicemen ana women granted assistance either to build or buy houses showed a sharp 'increase in April, there being 3066 iu this category at the end of the month. This was 266 more than the figure at the end of March. Those helped to erect new houses numbered 876 oq April 30, while 2190 had been authc* rised loans to purchase existing home* The total amount of the advances reached £3.342,923 at that date, being an increase of £305,473 over the total at the end of March. During April alone 266 eligible applicants had housing loans authorised, 172 of these being for the purchase of existing dwellings and 94 for building new homes. There were included m the above figures 180 supplementary interest-free housing loans, which were authorised during April, representing £27,531. Loans of'this nature so far advanced till the end of April numbered 1465, to the value of £237,659. Farms and Businesses

Up to April 30 a total of 1392 exservicemen and women had been assisted into businesses by means of loans, including 1255 men and women who returned from service overseas, 131 home servicemen, three merchant seamen and three dependents of deceased servicemen. The total amount for this purpose reached £612,856, the amount authorised during April being £48,002 for 93 -returned servicemen, three home servicemen and one deceased serviceman’s dependent. During April a further 626 returned servicemen and two home servicemen were authorised to obtain --loans amounting to £240,645 to assist them to farms. This brought the grand total till the end of April to 798 ex-service-men, who had been helped to buy or lease farms by means of loans totalling £2,614,787. Of those assisted the end of April 771 were ex-service-men, 24 home servicemen, two merchant seamen and. one a dependent of a deceased serviceman. Interest-free Furniture Loans

A further 390 interest-free furniture loans were authorised during April, involving £36,211, including advances for 348 returned men and one returned woman, The total amount authorised till the end of April wras £545.924, representing advances to 5979 ex-servicemen and women. Twenty-nine more interest-free loans for tools of trade were authorised in April at a cost of £944, bringing the total amount advanced to £13,852 and the number of ex-servicemen assisted to 462. For miscellaneous purposes another four returned men were granted loans amounting to £1275. To the end of April 63 ex-servicemen and women had received such assistance, the total amounting to £9782.