REBUILDING BRITAIN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 70, 23 March 1945, Page 5

REBUILDING BRITAIN

Trenchant Criticism By Labour M.P. BLEAKER THAN BLEAK HOUSE British Official Wireless Rec. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY, March 22. Opening a two-day debate in the House of Commons on housing the Minister of Health, Mr. Willink, said that in view of the tremendous amount of work to be done, including building new houses and repair of war damage, the Government intended to treat the first two years after the defeat of Germany as a period of national emergency, when emergency measures must be taken, and it would give the improvement of housing conditions the highest priority. The Government believed that with gcod administration the end of the second year should see house production on a balanced basis, 220,000 houses should be completed, and the remaining 80,000 houses due for completion within three or four months. Half the building craftsmen of the country had been concentrated—and would have to be concentrated for some considerable time—in Greater London. By a great effort the winter target of the repair of 719,000 houses was going to be achieved. Mr. Arthur Greenwood said the White Paper on housing was even bleaker than Bleak House. Time had been wasted in the past three years, and the - situation was not recoverable in the next few years. The problem had been seriously mishandled. He begged the Government and the House, in the interests of our stability of life after the war, in the interests of harmony in the community, and ir the interes.tr of justice', to proceed with all speed on viis great ;k.