HOMES AND ADVANCES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 308, 29 December 1937, Page 6

HOMES AND ADVANCES.

Much has been and is being done by the Government in house building, but I think • more could be done, and in a shorter time. Many who wished to have their own howes built have applied for finance from the Advances Department, only to have their applications turned down. Why? They are not told, but it seems to me someone is very much to blame, and I am afraid some officials who have to report on such applications are antagonistic to the scheme. I know in one case where a section of land was held bv the applicant, besides a small sirm in cash, aad where no reason could he adduced for refusal of finance. After all. the Government would have better security for the nionev advanced by having the section, and the building on it, than it would under the Government bousinjj scheme, where land and building are all financed by the Government. I care little who finances the housin-c. but I feel if more were done in the way of advances private citizens would soon get private builders to erect their houses. There is another aspect to this question: Suppose Brown had a three-roomed cottage four years ago. but with better wages and more work and with little Billv and Mary now going to school, Trown would" like to get into a larger house. Black requires a house, and a three-roomed place would do him. as his family are all married and awav. but Black has no money. Xo matter what price Brown's house could be purchased for. Black cannot buy. as Government advances 011 house* already erected are not made, so Black is without a [home and Brown is unable to sell his small house, and is so debarred from building a larger house. Surely some way can be devised of getting over this difficulty, as in niv opinion many small places are good buying at the present time, and if the Government assisted pensioners by financing homes, sav, at 4 per cent, and would advance on houses some miles from the centres of the cities and large towns, I am sure many old couples would soon have houses of their own. and they would in most instances hp able to pay a rent equal to 4 per cent on monev invested. COMMON" SEX>E.