GOVERNMENT HOUSING POLICY

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 159, 2 April 1937, Page 12

GOVERNMENT HOUSING POLICY

Labour Conference Support

Support for the Government’s housing policy was expressed by the conference of tlie New Zealand Labour Party in a committee recommendation adopted in tlie concluding stages of the conference at Wellington last night. The recommendation was as follows: “That in view of the failure of private enterprise to house the people adequately this conference affirms its maximum support of all efforts now being made to provide homes of high quality, and also supports tlie policy of continued financial assistance through liberal lending by the State Advances Corporation.”

The committee reported that it was satisfied that the time which would be lost in creating the necessary organisation to build houses witli day labour would not result iu nearly so much housing being created as would be done under the policy of mobilising all existing organisations. It had been made aware of an effort set up by a cooperative organisation of the Carpenters’ Union, Wellington, and understood that it was the policy of the Government to give every encouragement to this co-operative effort. The committee was of the opinion that the present policy of using New Zealand materials, manufactured or prepared .by New Zealand workmen, should be adhered to. It further understood that it was the intention of the Government. to extend its housing scheme to small centres and to enable houses to be built for farmers, and considered that the staff necessary to give effect to this should be expanded as rapidly as possible to enable this to be done. The committee further understood that the rentals under the Government's housing scheme were to be based on a rate of interest which would be lower than that adopted in any portion of the British Empire, and that the funds available for housing were new money issued by the Central Reserve Bank.