M.P. attacks State housing policy

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32975, 22 July 1972, Page 13

M.P. attacks State housing policy

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELINGTON, July 21.

“The attempts of the Minister of Housing (Mr Holland) to minimise the problems of State rental housing,” was criticised yesterday by Mr B. G. Barclay (Lab., Christchurch Central).

“Mr Holland’s remarks will be of scant comfort to the thousands of people on the waiting lists for such accommodation,” Mr Barclay said. “Neither will they please, State tenants living in poorly maintained houses.” When the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) recently called the State the worst landlord in New Zealand, he knew that Mr Holland would have a hard job denying it, and he was right, said Mr Barclay.

“The most astounding part of his denial was the charge that Mr Kirk’s call for 4000 new State houses was based on current requests for such accommodation rather than real demand. What can be more real than Mr Holland’s recent disclosure of more than 12,000 applications for housing, half of which are graded as urgent? RISING RENTS “These people are surely not going to find the housing they need in the private sector for we all know that where the greatest need is, in the cities, there is a great shortage of rental accommodation and as a result, rents are sky-rocketing.” The shortage of State houses contributed to this high-rent spiral, Mr Barclay said.

“I cannot recall the last time State houses in Christchurch were without tenants and I'm sure this holds true for our other cities. Since I have been in Parliament, Christchurch applicants have always had to wait more than a year for accommodation.

“The Government’s record on maintenance is also pool —s4m on house maintenance may sound like a lot but divided among 52,000 houses, some of which are more than 30 years old, it works out at a mere $77 a year per house. Landlords I’ve spoken to estimate their average maintenance costs at more than twice that amount.”

The growing waiting list for State houses and the drop in the allocation for building new houses, sBm for 1972-73 compared with $9.25m foi 1970-71, said more about the Government’s concern for providing housing than did Mr Holland’s comments, said Mr Barclay.