BUILDING HOMES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 140, 15 June 1944, Page 4

BUILDING HOMES

CITY'S GREAT PROBLEM "Housing is our great problem," said the Mayor,.Mr. W. Appleton, in his address following the formal ceremony of induction, yesterday afternoon. It has become increasingly apparent that the State alone cannot solve this problem. Nor can' the council unless there are men and materials to build houses. I welcome the recent statement of the Minister of Works, Mr. Semple, that 'private builders will be given a very great percentage of the material and man-power available,' and that 'we want to encourage them.' This is exactly what the council sought, without success, in a deputation to the Hon. Walter Nash last December. "Our policy is home-ownership,* as far as houses go, and we have £100,000 available for advances. I propose to make our scheme as widely known as possible. Ido earnestly believe that a partial solution of the housing problem will be found in assisting the small builder to resume his former place in the country. We will, I know, work in the fullest co-operation with the Government in its housing scheme, but before we can make any progress at all with slum clearance in our own area, we must have a Slum Clearance Bill passed into law. "Personally, I favour brilding on certain slum-cleared areas communal flats for elderly people and bachelor girls who are so keenly, personally and financially, affected by the existing position. As a preliminary to this proposal I propose calling a conference of architects, town planners, social workers and others interested, to advise and assist us in this objective. If we seek all the co-operation we can before moving, it will reduce criticism at later stages to a minimum. ' In all matters I want to encourage a policy of seeking outside co-operation, always bearing in mind that the council itself must reach the final decision."