STATE HOUSING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 82, 17 January 1940, Page 3

STATE HOUSING.

PROGRESS OF THE SCHEME. OVER, 5700 BUILDINGS. (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, January 16. The. progress made with the construction of dwellings under the, State Housing Scheme was briefly reviewed by the Minister- for Housing (the Ho'n. H. T. Armstrong) in an interview this evening. The Ministry of Housing was established in September, 1930, and the building of houses was commenced early in the. following year. Statistics were quoted by the Minister to stow that 5705 houses have been completed since the inception of the scheme. The following was the position on December 29, 1939: Houses under construction ... 2,450 Houses Completed ... 5,705 Houses under construction, and actually completed ... 8,155 Houses advertised for contracts 10,057 Houses completed and banded over during 1939 3,333 Men employed by the Housing Construction Department and the. contractors 5.162 Towns in which work is proceeding Ml 3 Mr Annstiong said that be had hoped that by this time' it would have been possible" to,show better results than those* achieved, hut the war had given.’a serious set-hack to the scheme. Labour and .material which would otherwise have been available l bad been taken for the building of hutments aiuh other buildings in military camps. , . However, lie thought that uncloi the circumstances it could be claimed that good progress had been made with the scheme.