HOUSING LOAN OF £103,095

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26985, 10 March 1953, Page 8

HOUSING LOAN OF £103,095

CRITICISM BY STATE ADVANCES CITY COUNCIL’S REPLY Complaints that some of the criticisms of the proposed housing loan of £103,095 from the State Advances CorS oration would increase the cost of the ouses and cause delay in their erection were made by the housing committee in its report last evening to the City Council. The committee’s views have been conveyed to the Minister in charge of State Advances (Mr J. R. Marsnall) and the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.) has been asked to make further to expedite the loan, for the building of the 37 houses. “It has now been reported that representatives of the State Advances Corporation had called on the City Engineer to discuss criticisms received 'om their head office relative to construction and siting,” said the report. “The committee felt that some of the criticisms made were purely a matter of opinion, while others would prove the houses but increase the costs and cause delays in having the houses erected. The plans and specifications submitted by the council comply with the city by-laws and everv effort was made in designing the houses to keep the cost down to a reasonable level. Houses Would Outlast Loan “While the corporation was probably, acting both as an adviser to the Loans Board and in its capacity as a money lender, the committee felt that the issues raised were really not its concern and were only (ielaying the erection of houses very badly needed in this city. It is contended that the houses would be of a sufficiently high standard greatly to outlast the term of any normal loan. In additiort the corporation’s loan would, if necessary, be secured by a rate over the whole of the city, not merely over the buildings.” . Cr. C. Baldwin (chairman of the housing committee) said that if the corporation’s criticisms were followed out, the housing schemes of city councils and county councils wpuld be stopped. • Cr. J E. Jones said that some of the demands did not do the corporation any credit. They had not been made before. Referring to the speed of house building in the United States, the committee said it was of interest to note that Levitt and Sons, widely renowned for their house building, . were now engaged on the construction of another town of 17,500 houses. These were being erected at the rate of about 40 a day, and the same firm was doing development, including loading and drainage. The cost of the houses, including the section, would be 10,500 dollars, or about £3600. That seemed typical of American prices. Large contracts recently let in America in-cluded:—-285 houses at 8421 dollars each, 65 houses at 9231 dollars each. 74 houses at 10,135 dollars each, 37 x *?£££. a J' dollars each, 40 houses at 2975 dollars each. In Canada prices seemed slightly lower. For instance. 50 concrete or b £ick J r ®f lde nces zwere being built at 7860 dohars, and 142 flats in three buildings at 6000 dollars a flat ar - gued that if the m New Zealand P r °t> lei * as was done in J*® United States houses could be built more cheaply.