QUESTION ANSWERED

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 165, 15 July 1941, Page 8

QUESTION ANSWERED

M.P.'S IN STATE HOUSES "NO APOLOGY IS NEEDED" (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Monday. Four members of Parliament are occupying State houses. This answer to a question which the Hon. W. Nash was asked in Auckland recently was given to-day by the Minister in Charge of Housing, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong.

"In my opinion no explanation is necessary and certainly no apology," said Mr. Armstrong. "We have no instructions that even members of Parliament are undesirable tenants. No member with only his salary to live on has a labourer's wage to take home after he has met the expenses that his position involves He would have to be very careful to be as well off as a £5-a-week man."

Members who did have State houses had a dearer type that were sometimes difficult to let at all. said Mr. Armstrong. "I have reports on all State houses let in the four main centres." he said. "These reports show the occupations and incomes of the successful applicants. Only in rare cases does a man with more than £7 a week get a house. Fullv 9o per cent of the houses go to people with incomes ranging to £7 a week "

The Minister produced copies of reports and pointed out that in most cases the incomes of people concerned were between £4 10/ and £5 jy/. If a person with more than 1/ a week gets a State house it is almost invariably one of the dearer houses at a rental of £2 2/6." he said olch nf Ut h a / ew of tnese houses in each of the four main centres In some cases we had difficulty in letting them. Men on £5 or £6 a week often could not pay the rent. We therefore had to look for someone who in ordinary circumstances would %h? V £ re - ceived a stale house." The Minister said that houses of type were n °