“SPOILS TO VICTORS”

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 189, 7 May 1937, Page 12

“SPOILS TO VICTORS”

Allocation to Towns of Housing Scheme Work NEW PLYMOUTH COMPLAINT By Telegraph—Press Association. New Plymouth, May 6. "I hope I am not being unfair to anyone when I draw attention to the rather remarkable fact that of 13 towns included in the Government’s latest list of projected housing schemes, nine returned Government candidates at the last electioil and the remaining four were already represented by members of the same party,” said the president of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce, Mr. D. F. C. Saxton, to the council of the .chamber to-night. "Excluding Napier, which, owing to the earthquake, must be regarded as a special case, only two towns in New Zealand with a population of over 10,009 are excluded from the list. They arc the only two large towns that returned Opposition members —Nelson and New Plymouth, the latter with a population of over 18,000. Of the 13 towns mentioned six have a population of under 10,000 and two of under 5000, Surely it is asking too much of our credulity to believe that all these places have a greater need of new houses than New Plymouth, where there is an acute shortage. “Whether there is any political significance in this rather remarkable position is not the business of this chamber,” added Mr. Saxton, "but we are vitally concerned with thg facts that there is an acute shortage of rental houses at New Plymouth, that the building trade has seldom been so stagnant, and that New Plymouth has so far been overlooked iu favour of every other large town in the Dominion excepting Nelson. We can be excused if we feel it has been a case of spoils to the victors.” The chamber decided to make strong representations to the Housing Department, stressing the promise made by Mr. J. A. Lee, Parliamentary Undersecretary iu Charge of Housing, that work at New Plymouth would be “undertaken shortly.”