RENTAL HOUSES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 123, 26 May 1943, Page 4

RENTAL HOUSES

GOVERNMENT SCHEME AWAY TO A GOOD START (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The State rental housing programme of 3600 units for this year, announced yesterday by the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, already has had a good start, for included in the total is a large number in varying stages of completion at the present time. Workmen Avere taken off these houses to go to urgent defence jobs, and, because of the improvement of the position in the South Pacific, they are to be released to continue the house building programme.

"Along with State housing construction," said the Minister of Public Works, Mr. Semple, to-day, "there will be provision for the release of material and labour for a certain amount of private building, subject to the dwellings conforming to a reasonable standard."

Referring to the announcement that 100 houses in Auckland would be completed by July 1, Mr. Semple said that in Auckland and suburbs 221 houses were under construction as follow:—Almost complete, Avondale 24, Orakei 8, Westmere 27; 80 per cent completed, Avondale 4, Epsom 33, Orakei 6, Remuera 4; three-fifths completed, Grey Lynn 12, Orakei 13, Remuera 10; net quite half completed, Avondale 8, Epsom 1, Grey Lynn 16, Orakei 4, Remuera 4; and houses started, Avondale 70, Epsom 1, Orakei 4, Parnell 1, Remuera 1.

Mr. Semple said it would not be difficult to finish 100 of these houses on the date mentioned. In the metropolitan area the Housing Construction Department had acquired 1000 sections, all of which were serviced, and sufficient land had been secured for the construction of 9000 housing units.

Later on the Tamaki district would be largely built upon, but nothing could be done there at present, as roads, water and sewerage services had yet to be provided.