CLEARANCE OF SLUMS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23001, 22 April 1940, Page 8

CLEARANCE OF SLUMS

NEW LEGISLATION NECESSARY ' EXPANSION OF STATE HOUSING AIM OF SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE “Legislation is required to compel the owner of a slum to improve or demolish it or to sell the land to the State at the cost of the land only,” said the Minister for Housing (the Hon, H. T. Armstrong) in an interview oa Saturday. In addition to the shortage of housing due to the terrific expansion of - New Zealand, many houses situated,, in slum areas urgently required to be ‘ demolished, and their place taken by new houses. With a Labour Government in office, as seemed likely for a decade at least, big improvements in the cities could be etfectec u' mistakes were avoided early. The objectives aimed at when the Ministry of Housing came ': lo exist- • ence in September, 1836, were being attained, said Mr .Armstrong. At April 5 last the position was as follows: Houses completed ... 6,564 Houses under construction .. 2,831 Houses finished or under construction -. - - 9,395 Houses advertised .. -. 11,079. Of the 121 towns in which construction was proceeding a fortnight ago, 81 were in the Nortn Island and 40 in the South Island. ' The total number of men directly employed by the Housing Department f was no fewer than 5645, and the number would require to be doubled to ascertain the total number of those gainfully employed. Employment was also given to a considerable number of men on reading schemes in vari- s ous parts of New Zealand. This had become increasingly necessary on account of the large-scale land development schemes at present being handled by the department. Shortage of Craftsmen “The work of the department is still being spread among a large number ; of contractors, the present number being 344,” said the Minister. Wmle the bulk of the work is being earned out by private contractors, a number of co-operative contractors has carried schemes of housing through to A . . successful conclusion. A limited experiment of housebuilding by day labour is being engaged in, and, if it.ia._successful, the scheme will be rapidly extended 9 * There was still a shortage of cnßtsmen on the contracts now let, and if the department was to increase substantially, year by year, the number of houses aimed at, further reinforcements of the skilled labour army would be necessary. The imposition of_ import control had resulted in : the installation of additional- New factories, and caused an influx of crafts- , men, further accentuating the housing shortage. To date, the __ Government had arranged for the immigration of approximately 600 building craftsmen. . “It will be seen how little ground there is for the fears of those who believe we are overflowing ttie building industry,” said Mr Armstrong. . , , If the building industry were to be halted to-morrow. New Zealand would be in the throes of r. first-class slump, he said. But with Labour in power, a long period of expansion appeared to be likely, and the future should be bright for the thousands of young men entering the industry as apprentices.