HOUSES FOR SOLDIERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17349, 14 May 1924, Page 7

HOUSES FOR SOLDIERS.

GOVERNMENT LOANS WANTED.

The' Canterbury District Council of the R.S.A. decided at its annual conference to-day to urge the Government to put Section 2 of the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act into operation again, making provision for loans to discharged soldiers for building purposes. On behalf of the Christchurch branch Colonel H. Stewart moved: That in view of the long delays in dealing with applications for loans for building purposes under the State Advances Act, this conference strongly urges the Government to again put into operation Section 2 of the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act, making provision for loans to discharged soldiers for building purposes.”

Mr Leadley said that tho reason why the remit was sent forward by the Christchurch branch was that returned soldiers were now unable to obtain advances for building houses. AY hen the State Advances Act came into operation it was stated that returned soldiers and civilians were to be placed on the same footing. But the Department became snowed under with applications, with the result that ithad to close down on applications. What the remit asked for was that Section 2 of the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act should again be brought into operation in order to give soldiers an opportunity of obtaining advances for houses. He had visited the State Advances Office in Wellington recently and saw such an accumulation of applications that he believed it would take twelve months to deal with them all. Mr Massey had recently raised a loan of £5,000,000, part of which was for State Advances, and the present was an opportune time for asking that. Section 2 of the D.S.S. Act should be revived. The remit was adopted unanimously.