CLEAR SITES NOW

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 4, 30 September 1943, Page 4

CLEAR SITES NOW

Estate Agents’ President

Gives His Views

HOUSES FOR SOLDIERS

The suggestion Unit an immediate start be made with drainage, clearing, roading and other preparatory work on blocks which the Government had in view as sites for houses for exservicemen was made by the president of 'the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (Wellington branch), .Mr. R. A. Large, at the annual meeting last night. Mr. Large said it must be admitted that at present, there were not the houses for the men. The Rehabilitation Board’s limits in respect of existing houses for which it would make advances were for places not more than 15 .years old or above £l5OO in value. Fifteen years took them back to the pre-depression jieriod and they all knew how few homes were built between 1930 and 1935. Then the present Government Started building and did much good work. But the mistake was in building all the houses for rental. The man who owned a house put his spare time and his money into the improvement of his prouerly and, at the same time, the surroundings. These were the men to be encouraged. On the other hand, the rental house tenant was more likely to spend his spare time and his money in aunisenfent; the money instead of saving it up to purchase a house or paying one off.. The Government did not seem to realize the housing shortage. There would not be 250 houses offering in Wellington in the category of under 15 years old and not above £l5OO. When the servicemen returned there would be “hell to pay if there were no homes for them. So far the Government, had not done much about the housing side of rehabilitation. . It could do a lot in preparing building sites on some of the big blocks it was known to have in view. Why not shift detainees' camps on to these blocks and Start roading. fencing, main drains, reserves and other work. Then when manpower was made available for the building industry—and he thought a lot ot men could be released —they could get on to house-building at once. The same applied to subdivided rural lands which would require roading, farm buildings, and so on. He had never agreed that wood was the best liouse-ibuilding material; steel houses would some day come into existence. There would bo no' rot or borer, the upkeep would be low and the earthquake risk minimized. British authorities were now considering steel. .Much was being said about plastics, 'but it whs much in the experimental stage and a recent article estimated today’s cost of a plastic house at £5606. Brick and concrete were subject, to earthquake risk. Recently the Minister of Stale Forests had stated that there was a tremendous timber shortage and the yards were absolutely devoid of seasoned timber. The Government should get the preliminary work under way at onee and appoint a housing construction 'board to consider all methods of building. The Forestry Unit of the 2nd iN.Z.E.F. should be brought back from Britain and the timber industry got going to its maximum. Mr. A. J. Toogood said that the question of when a house was old was a difficult one. Au architect and a sawmiller, both men of long experience and standing, had told him that New Zealand was not yet old enough for. this question, to lie correctly answered in the case of a house built of good timber.