PROGRESS IN HOUSING

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27401, 14 July 1954, Page 12

PROGRESS IN HOUSING

MINISTER’S REVIEW

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 13. The Government had built more houses than the Labour administration had built, and last year had built 1400 more nouses than were built in labour’s best year, said the Minister’' of Housing (Mr W. Sullivan) when he spoke in the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives tonight. In the current financial year the Government would produce even better housing figures. Under the group housing scheme—a scheme which by its success was worrying the Opposition—22o builders were participating in 41 towns. Already allocated for them to build were 3300 houses. In addition to this there were 420 approvals under the certified scheme.

One of the greatest problems today was not to obtain builders and materials but to find building sites, he said. With more co-operation from local authorities—some had been very helpful—still mote progress could be made in the housing drive. The Minister said the Government had embarked on a policy of building flats at Auckland and Wellington, and sites were being sought at Christchurch and Dimedin. He said that 521 houses had been set aside in a pool for public servants on transfer. Reviewing the State house-building programme for this year, he said that 2894 houses were under construction, contracts had been let for another 1022, and additional contracts were being let every day. Contracts, he said, would be let up to the amount of the money available, providing always that a satisfactory price was received. The Minister said that the labour force in the building industry had increased by more than 8000 in the last two years, and 46 per cent, of all apprenticeships were in the same industry. He said he was perfectly certain that the Government, by setting out to obtain the co-operation of the building industry, and the local authorities, would make greater progress in building houses than in past years. The .Government freely admitted there were persons who could not afford to build, and they were the Government’s responsibility, but those who did have the means were expected not to lean on the State.