HOUSING FINANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 100, 30 April 1938, Page 7

HOUSING FINANCE

DUNEDIN'S, EXAMPLE

The example of Dunedin in making use of Government money to relieve the housing shortage there was mentioned by Mr. R. McKeen, M.P., Labour candidate for the City Council, speaking at the Vogelmom Hall on Thursday. , _ , The Mayor had said that Labour councillors had done nothing to bring housing before the council, but he had notes of all the occasions when it had been brought up, and how it had been staved off. More than one family with children was living in houses where the conveniences were not sufficient for one. He quoted the numbers of people living in baches. At the present moment such people could not be forced out because they had nowhere to go, even though they were cooking in the passage and sleeping on stretchers.. In one fourroomed house he found a unit,in each room and a stoves in each room. An old age pensioner was living in a bach in the yard. To meet the needs of those who really had no residences 2000 houses were required; to- meet the total needs 20,000 houses were wanted. The Government had placed £5,000,000 aside to assist local bodies in this work, but the Wellington City Council absolutely refused to take advantage of it. Dunedin City Council did take advantage of the Government's offer and got £100,000 at 3 per cent. The people immediately became keen on the idea. Another £100,000 was borrowed and now 144 houses were built and more were under way. A third £100,000. had been borrowed and tenders were to be called for a third batch of homes. It would have been a different thing if the people of Wellington had been asked to find the money to house the more unfortunate people, but, as was the case in Dunedin, the money had been provided, and it would have cost the city practically nothing. It could have been done in Wellington if a majority of city councillors had not turned the Government's offer down.