Housing plans attacked

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32635, 17 June 1971, Page 2

Housing plans attacked

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, June 16.

The Government’s housing policies came under attack in Parliament today, during debate on Ministerial replies to members’ questions.

.Mr R. P. B. Drayton (Lab., St Albans) said the situation facing the building industry made the 1967-68 recession look like King Solomon’s Mines. Before the “great migration” of 1967-68, he said, the building industry had proved it could build good homes at the right price, provided the climate was right “Government policies have led to a further drift from the industry,” said Mr Drayton, “and to a reluctance for young men to enter the industry.” The Minister of Housing (Mr Rae) said that the value of permits for both housing and commercial building for the year ended March, 1971, would at least equal the record set the previous year. Referring to a claim by Mr W. A. Fraser (Lab. r St Kilda), Mr Rae said only one carpenter was registered as unemployed in Dunedin, and only 10 in the whole of New Zealand. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) said the number of housing completions, units and building permits, compared with last year, were all down. This was a result of inadequacy of finance. The Government was de-

liberately opting out of its responsibility to prepare land and provide housing finance, he said.

Although the Budget had announced an increase in State Advances loan limits there had been no word on whether the corporation Would be given an increased allocation for lending. Did this mean, Mr Kirk asked, that although loans -would be bigger there would actually be' fewer of them this year?