HOUSING FOR FORMER SERVICEMEN

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24600, 23 June 1945, Page 6

HOUSING FOR FORMER SERVICEMEN

RESOLUTIONS OF R.S.A, CONFERENCE

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, June 22. Priority equal to State housing should be given to building supplies and materials for former servicemen wishing to build their own homes, it was decided by the annual conference of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association. The conference also adopted a resolution that in view of the large number of former servicemen and women (and war widows) requiring houses and the progressive worsening of the situation with increased demobilisations, preferential allocations of State houses be increased to 75 per cent. The Government is to be urged to take immediate action in providing accommodation, even if temporary, for returned men, and approval was given the action of the Dominion executive committee in requesting the Government to ascertain the number of houses not occupied for the greater part of the year (particularly beach and weekend houses), and in requesting that such houses be made available, with adequate safeguards, as temporary homes for servicemen. A resolution was adopted that luxury and unnecessary alterations to existing houses should be prohibited, the available materials to be used for new homes for servicemen, hospitals. State houses, and for urgent necessary repairs. Having been assured by the Director of Housing that this was the present position, the conference decided that all local associations be urged fo take every possible step to see that these provisions were enforced in their areas. The conference instructed the Dominion executive committee to endeavour to have implemented a decision that an independent commission be set up to investigate; (a) the whole cost of building in 1 New Zealand, both direct and Indirect; (b) what can be done to reduce present costs and the tendency to rising cpsts: and (c) what is the best method of providing housing in New Zealand.