MR. LEE V. MR. ANDREWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 92, 20 April 1938, Page 10

MR. LEE V. MR. ANDREWS

PUBLIC DEBATE

CHALLENGE ACCEPiLu

The controversy between Mr. J. A. Lee, Parliamentary Under-Secretary in Charge of Housing, and Mr. J. W. Andrews, Mayor, of Lower Hutt and Nationalist candidate for Hutt at the coming General Election, about housing, was carried a step further today, when Mr. Lee accepted Mr. Andrews's challenge to debate the question

publicly. Mr. Lee has expressed the desire to meet Mr. Andrews some Sunday afternoon at the Basin Reserve and have it out. , "I referred the figures on dwelling permits as used by me in my statement regarding building permits in Lower Hutt, to . the Census and Statistics Office," said Mr. Lee, "and I have received the following statement: 'The figures of dwellings supplied on the Bth and 12th instant have been rechecked and found correct.' The dwelling figures are taken from the returns of building permits supplied by the Town Clerk, Lower Hutt, plus the addition, during the last twelve months, of houses commenced by the Housing Construction Branch of the State Advances Corporation.'

"Mr. Andrews's figures also -were correctly quoted until he came to the year 1937," continued Mr. Lee. "Then the report from the Census and Statistics Office goes on: 'This Department has no information regarding dwellings erected, but .it should be noted that Mr. Andrews has ustd permit figures on, the one hand —and a number of these dwellings may not have been completed in that year— and buildings erected on the other.'

"May I say that it was this misuse of the permit figure in the last year to which I certainly took exception, because, as used in conjunction with ] the figures for previous years it was] either unintentionally or wilfully misleading," Mr. Lee. "I also objected to the average for private dwellings being made to incorporate the houses built by the past Government, and certainly object to Mr. Andrews's assertion that there was no justification for building during the slump years. ATTITUDE OF DESPAIR. "It was because of that attitude of despair that New Zealand had the slump. I personally think tttat to have kept carpenters and builders working producing valuable assets during the slump years, would have been more in keeping with a Chris-; tian civilisation than to enrol them wholesale on relief works. "Mr. Andrews commenced by stating that he would be 'pleased to meet Mr. Lee on any platform in New Zealand to discuss the effect of his policy and the method of tendering.' " Since housing is of grave importance in a Christian civilisation, I should be pleased, to meet Mr. Andrews some Sunday afternoon in the Basin Reserve iand to extend an invitation to all citizens, particularly social workers, to attend—Mr. Andrews to affirm that the housing policy of the Nationalist Party is best calculated to meet the needs of a Christian civilisation; myself to affirm that the housing policy of the Labour Government is best calculated to meet the needs of a Christian civilisation; Mr. Andrews to select the chairman; the resolution to be voted on or not, as it pleases Mr. Andrews.

"Mr. Andrews will agree that housing is more than a business. Good housing is something of grave moral consequence and well qualified to receive the atention of all who could possibly attend such a discussion.

"If Mr. Andrews does not care for this suggestion—and his challenge said 'any platform anywhere in New Zealand'—l shall be pleased/ to debate the Government's housing policy versus the Nationalist's policy with him in the hostile atmosphere of the next Nationalist garden party."