HOUSING SHORTAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 28, 2 August 1934, Page 19

HOUSING SHORTAGE

WELLINGTON'S POSITION

GOVERNMENT ASKED TO ACT

The danger of an aouto housing shortage in 'Wellington Avas jiointed out by Mr. R. McKecn (Labour, Wellington South) in the House of Representatives yesterday, when he urged the Government to realise tlio position and embark on a policy of house-building which, would not only alleviate tho position but also ■ provide work foxskilled tradesmen.

Mr. McKeen said that in 1930-31 tho population of Wellington was 127,000, and in 1932-33 it had grown to 145,000, an increase of 18,000. The total number of houses built in the period was 309, whereas on a calculation of five persons to a dwelling tho number of additional houses required was 3600. The Unemployment Board was spending thousands of pounds by way of subsidy for the erection of business premises, and tho ■money" would "be far better spent on the erection of dwellings- which would give employment to a large number of skilled men and revive the building industry throughout the Dominion. It should be the object of the Government to provide houses, for relief workers at a rental which was in keeping with the amount of relict pay they were receiving. No relict worker should be called upon pay a greater rental than 10s- weekly. 1 am.satisfied," said Mr. MeKeen, "that with a littlo organisation and co-opera-tion between the Government and the local bodies houses could bo orccted at reasonable cost and within tho, means Of relief workers and other wnge earners." Ho said that the British Government was realising its responsibility in connection^ with the housing problem and had decided to erect 1,000,000 dwellings in the United Kingdom. These houses would bo let at ono-third of the worker's weekly wage. Building materials were cheaper now than they had been for. years, and the local bodies could make land available cheaply. Thus the cost of. construction would not be nearly as great as it was a few years ago.