EXPERIMENTAL HOUSES

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27097, 21 July 1953, Page 8

EXPERIMENTAL HOUSES

SALE PROPOSED BY GOVERNMENT

PUBLIC INSPECTION FOR ABOUT FORTNIGHT (New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, July 20. eight experimental houses built for the Government in the four main centres would be sold after they had fulfilled their primary purpose—to show the public how housing costs could be cut by the adoption of modern planning techniques, said the Minister m charge of the State Advances Corporation (Mr J. R. Marshall) today. The sale price, he said, would cover the cost of the building and sections and a charge for fixed furnishings. Ifthere were more than one inquiry for each house the purchaser would be selected by lot. The houses, all of which would be completed either at the end of this week or early next week, would be qpen for public inspection for about a fortnight from a date to be announced. The Minister said that arrangements had been made for the two houses in both Dunedin and Christchurch to be furnished by local furniture firms, and similar arrangements were to be made in Auckland and Wellington.

“The idea for arranging for the houses to be furnished is to give the public an idea of what they will look like as homes,” the Minister added.

The first of the experimental houses to be finished, that designed by the Government Architect (Mr Gordon Wilson) and built in Dunedin, was handed over to the Housing Division a week ago. The results of the Government-spon-sored national housing competition should be known by August 1, Mr Marshall said. The competition, which calls for house design and construction ideas, will close tomorrow. By today 226 entries had been received—--147 in the design section and 79 in the construction class. The five judges will have their first official meeting cn W ednesday.