STATE ADVANCES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10163, 18 July 1924, Page 6

STATE ADVANCES

STILL-MORE MONEY TO BE * GIVEW. MR MASSEY'S STATEMENT. WELLINGTON, July 17. In the House of Representatives the Prime Minister replied to statements t.-hioii had been made in reference to tiio housing question and the State Advances office.

He said that every "copper" he had promised would be handed over to the Advances Department, and more. He said emphatically that the money for advances would not be allowed to run out. He had already stilted that £3,000,£G0 would be paid into the State Advances office during the current year, and he noW wished to say that it would be tftore than that. He could not provide all the' money required in one month, o'r' in. .three months, as some people tfeeught.- Tiie Department was not so far behind as it had been in the matter of dealing .with the applications. He was quite I prepared to consider any urgent ease (that came along. Of course, h<& ooulcl i not deal with dozens at a but j : he had dealt with a great many. A. fgreat deal of nonsense was tslked about what went on in the DeparttnSlit;. Ik? could not recall any case of where' a wealthy man had been, granted- a : I'onn, and he had not heai*d : of a&y-'case of the kind. Be had heard of a *<e¥lthy man being refused a loan., though';- and ne nad refused just such , a. case himself; He proposed to give in the Financial Statement a. great deal more information about the Advances Department and' the' different lending departments- than had been done before. It was- tflue that the housing difficulty still exited in Wellington, but in other parts of the Dominion the position had ; greatly improved. He did not believe that there was any difficulty in country towns'. Auckland and Wellington werc'the two worst places. Mr Massey mentioned that when in Auckland he had! seen 50' houses built of a permanent material! by the City Council. Theser iwere five-roomed, places, with every convenience, and | they had been' erected at a cost of , £770 each, on- section & which were valued at £200: The cost to the occupiers was 25s at week. In conclusion, Mr Massey said ne believed that things were very much better, and he urged people to exercise a little patience.