SOLDIERS’ HOUSES

Southland Times, Issue 20496, 26 May 1928, Page 7

SOLDIERS’ HOUSES

TERMS OF SALE. (Per United Press Association.) Blenheim, May 25. A curious disability under which returned soldiers are placed if it should become necessary for them to dispose of houses subject to soldiers’ mortgages was referred to at the annual meeting of the Marlborough Patriotic »Association by Mr W. J. Girling, M.P. He said that if a soldier desired to sell his house he had first to endeavour to find another soldier as purchaser and failing that could sell to an ordinary civilian, but the Department raised the rate of interest from 44 per cent, paid by soldiers to the current advances rate of 5 J per cent. The result was that as plenty of houses carrying ordinary State Advances mortgages at 4| per cent, were on the market, soldiers were being unduly penalized and naturally found extreme difficulty in finding purchasers for their homes. He had taken the matter up with the Department, but had received no satisfaction so far. The association decided to write to the Minister of Lands stating the injustice of the system from the discharged soldiers’ point of view.