VACANT HOUSES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 195, 19 August 1927, Page 15

VACANT HOUSES.

STATE ADVANCES REVELATIONS. THIRTY TOWNS AFFECTED. POLICY MAY BE MODIFIED. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Eeporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday.

A situation has arisen in connection with the workers' branch of the State Advances Department which, in the opinion of the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, Minister of Finance, may lead to a modification of the policy of loans only for new houses, as it may be preferable to make advances for the purchase of existing dwellings. ° The Minister reviewed the position of the advances applications, showing that it had dealt with in June, 1926, applications for workers' dwellings, and was exactly a year behind with its advances to settlers applications. In 1924 there were over 7000 applications in hand for £9,500,000, but, partly owing to the difficulty in getting prompt results, this had dropped to 4500 applications totalling £4,900,000. When these would be disposed of depended on the amount of money at the disposal of the Department. While housing was still a difficult problem in Wellington, the fact was that in nearly every other centre the Department had houses vacant which it was anxious 'to dispose of to good £enants. This raised the question whether it was wise to continue building without restriction. He read a list of thirty towns in which the Department had on its hands houses subject to workers' advances, and which are vacant. Mr. Howard (Ghristchurch South): You want to get the history of the Christchurch houses. Mr. Stewart: I believe there were houses there built under the old scheme, and 13 are vacant. Some adjustment will have to be made. Possibly the price will have to be reduced, as the locality is not good. Mr. Jordan (Manukau): What about unemployment ? The Minister replied that Mr. Jordan was a member who said he had eight hundred applications for houses in his own district, and 125 were urgent. He inquired into this, finding 25 or 30 applications had already been granted, a number declined, and others withdrawn, while 13 could not be traced. Mr. Jordan: One that could not be traced has since been granted. Mr. Stewart added that an Auckland newspaper had : published a statement that houses were becoming so r-sv to obtain that a five-roomed house formerly let at £2 5/ was now rented for 25/. Mr. Bart ram: Rubbish. : Mr. Stewarti If houses are vacant in thirty towns ,it opens up the question ; Whether it would not be better policy foir the Department,' instead of everyone gating, a new house,- that, if it can be d6ne£- .on carisful valuation, arid it is found that a hbuse has a reasonably long life to carry a loan, - that people be financed, into those houses instead of new ones. He explained that since April the workers 1 branch had erected or purchased 473 homes on advances totalling £500,000. If the Department raised a fresh loan, there he further avalanche of applications. The problem resolved itself into whether the Government was to be the only house "builder in the Dominion.