HOUSE SHORTAGE

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16881, 8 July 1920, Page 6

HOUSE SHORTAGE

, BIG DEPUTATION TO MR MASSEY. (PRESS ASSOCIATION" TELrORAM.) •WELLINGTON, July 7. A deputation fi'om the Rent-payers Association, consisting of about 2000 people, marched to Parliament Buildings to-n:clu. for the purpose of interviewing Mr Massey on tho subject of the- housing shortage. The deputation asked that tie hutments at_ Trentham Camp should be made available to people, and that fast trains be put on to enable city workers to utilise them. They also asked that the export of timber be stopped until the shortage of houses is caught up. Meanwhile, it was urged, the rent restriction provisions in the present law should be continued. Mr Massey, in reply, said all they asked fo;- in the matter of rent restriction was contained in the Expiring Laws Continuance Bill, notice of which he had giv<*n. This provided for tho extension of the existing law for another year from August 31st next. At present the Government had 155 houses in course of erection in various parts of the Dominion. Thirteen houses had be on completed, and it was expected that another 124 would be finished in six months. In addition to this, the erection of 700 houses had been authorised by Cabinet recently, and it was expected that the Government would be expending between £600,000 and £700,000 on "this work in the course qt a year. It was impossible, however, for the Government to build all the houses required, but if they succeeded as they had begun, they would, by Government and private enterprise, succeed ill erecting 0000 houses in the next twelve mouths. It would not be long before the pressure was relieved. He had hoped the local bodies would have done more, but they evidently did not like the financial responsibility, and the result had been disappointing. Tho Government did not want to drive the builder out of business; he would prefer to encourage the builder to put up good houses and become a good landlord. The_ legislation proposed as to rent restriction would not apply to new houses, so that it could not be said it would interfere with the builders' operations.

Mr Massey expressed sympathy with those people who were unable to find homes, and, in reply to enquiries by Mr P. Fraser, M.P., regarding more drastic provisions in the - law to prevent evictions, he said the Government would welcome any suggestions from the Labour Party which would tend to strengthen the law.