State Support Withdrawn From Parade Of Homes

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28895, 15 May 1959, Page 12

State Support Withdrawn From Parade Of Homes

(New Zealand Press Association)

NAPIER, May 14. . The Minister of Housing (Mr Fox) has withdrawn his support from the Napier “Parade of Homes” because the prices of the houses to be built are beyond the limits for Government sponsorship. Mr Fox has instructed departmental officers of the State Advances Corporatio’ and the Housing Division to resign from the “Parade of Homes” committee and has withdrawn his promise of financial assistance with the insurance of the houses while they are being inspected, and with publicity costs. As well, an undertaking that the State would purchase any houses that were not sold within a certain time has been wihdrawn.

But in spite of the Minister’s withdrawal of support, the committee is pushing on with the project and builders will begin constructing the houses within a few weeks. The builders are taking full responsibility for any houses not sold.

In a letter to the committee, Mi Fox said: “I am disturbed at the proposal to allow builders to erect houses without fixing price limits. This would be contrary to the primary purpose of a parade of

homes which is to encourage lowcost housing.” I Mr Fox said the National Housing Council had given careful consideration to the values of the demonstration houses. In any parade of homes under its sponsorship, it had fixed a ceiling price of £3OOO, but with flexibility up to £3500 to allow for extra costs on hillside sites. The ceiling price of houses in the Napier parade will range from approximately £3OOO to £4OOO. The price of the sections will be added to the house price. In area the homes will be between 1050 and 1400 square feet.