SECURITY OF TENURE

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 270, 11 August 1938, Page 12

SECURITY OF TENURE

Government Housing

\ Scheme

"No Government has been more keen than the present oue to maintain security of tenure for people ou the laud and in their homes,” said the Minister of Finance, Hou. W. Nash, in concluding the Financial Debate iu the House of Representatives last night. There was. lie said, no greater security than tliat given through the State housing scheme. Mr. Nash said that sb long as people living in State houses kept the commitments they tiad undertaken, they would never he removed from their homes. There could be no better tenure than that. He would like 0 give credit to the old Reform Party for the houses it had built in Moern. He did .not think they were well built, although they were well constructed when compared with tlie standard of building at that time.

The average cost of 299 houses built at Moera in about 1925 or 1926 was £B9O for each bouse alone, lie said. Porches were now being added to some of these houses at a cost of £4O, ami others required additions that involved an expenditure of £l5O in each ease. These houses could not be compared with the houses being built by the Government to-day.

Never in the history of the country, said Mr. Nash, bad a more successful attack been made on the housing problem. Government housing rentals ranged from 17/6 a week to 34/6 a week, a few going up to 37/-. a week with a rebate of 2/6. It was not possible to secure comparable houses privately owned for rentals as low. People were coming in hundreds to obtain State houses, because they knew that they would be asked ,»0 per eetil less in rent for them. The Wellington bousing survey bad shown that the average for a single room was 17/7 a week.

with rentals running tip to an average of 49/11 for eight rooms. Mr. 11. 8. S. Kyle (Opposition, Rieeartou) : What could you get a good Hat for? '

Mr. Nash said that lie wished the Government could provide houses in thousands, not hundreds, because it would mean that more people could be better cared for.