STATE HOUSES

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1938, Page 4

STATE HOUSES

OPENING AT COBDEN. In the presence of about two hundred citizens, including representatives of district, local bodies, the State housing block at. Keeneys estate. Cobden, was officially opened yesterday afternoon by Mr J. A. Lee, M.P., who has charge of the Department of Housing, and the keys ot the first, dwelling were handed t 0 future tenants. Mr and Mrs F. w. B. Rosell. Included in. the official party which occupied the dais erected in front of one of the houses, were Mr Lee. his private secretary. Mr 1-. <. Tenim. Mr J- O’Brien. M.P.. and Mrsi O'Brien, the. Alayor (Mr F- A. Kitchimrhami, Mr P. Allardyce (Nelson office of the State Advances Department). Mr -I- Hart (representing J. A. Hart. Ltd., contractors for the majority of the new houses), and Mr and Mrs Resell. Numerous apologies for absence were received. The .Mayor said that he was sure all of those present, were glad to welcome Mr Let* and party and to attend the ceremony, which was an historic one for Greymouth. The provision of housing facilities was one of the fundamental needs of the community. The Government had taken the matter in hand and he trusted that the experiment. upon, which they had embarked would be profitable both to the community and the Government. In using the word profit, lie did not mean in the direction of ;£ s. d.. although they did. not wish to lose money, hut in the sense of providing up-to-date dwellings for the. people, taking advantage of the tried improvements in housing and the various amenities which were now available. He thought that the Government was to be congratulated upon trying to meet the housing shortage, which all knew had been acute, not onlv in Greymouth, but throughout

tbe Dominion. The Government was endeavouring to meet that shortage and all would trust that they would be successful. In conclusion, the Mayor said that he trusted that Mr Lee, as the largest landlord in NewZealand would have a. happy time in managing the homes which he had created. Mr J. O’Brien said that he was pleased to be present at the installation of the first tenant in Labour bouses on the Wes*t Coast. All knew flic acute shortage of houses which existed, and it simply meant, that houses had to bo built. Those which they saw before them that day -were only a start, on the hundreds which were going to be built on the West Coast. GREYMOUTH’S EXPANSION. Mr Lee said that he was delighted to see so many people turn out for the ceremony. He could remember the day that he first came to inspect the site of the houses and recalled that it took so long to obtain land under the P.W.D. Act that the houses Avere actually built before the land was secured. There was- no part of New Zealand more likely to _ show more expansion, for its size, in the next few vears than Greymouth, continued Mr Lee. and he thought that if the citizens had confidence in their town and planned ahead, they could make Greymouth a town worthy of the West Coast. He thought that the Department’s efforts on the housing block Were going to assist to make Cobden a most desirable part, of a most desirable town of a most desirable province. Referring to the initial difficulty of securing labour for housing, Mr Lee said that the woiking armv was being recruited and he would be delighted to make provision for fresh contracts, for as manv houses as were needed. The new houses were the product of Greymouth industry, and Greymouth labour and if credit was 1 due to anybody, it was due to the industry of Greymouth. He wished to congratulate Mr and Mrs Rosell and hoped that they felt proud at being the first tenants of the new houses and trusted that they would be happy in their new home for years to come. In formally declaring the houses open, he wished to say that the contractors and. the workmen had made a goon job. and in his opinion, the scheme now opened would compare with any which the Department had undertaken in New Zealand. Mr Hart then presented Mr Dee will) a. gold key. Io enable him to open the door of the first house. Mr Lee, in returning thanks for tho gift, said llial. this was the first occasion, upon which be had been privileged to receive a. gold key and it. was something he would treasure ail the days of bis life. It was an instance of West. Coast hospitality, and In.: wished to thank Air Hart, who had made, a good job. The first house was then opened bv Mr Lee and Mr and Mrs Rosell formally entered into possession. in company with the official party, who made an inspection of the dwelling.

An adjournment was then made to the Cobden Gymnasium, where over 250 people attended a function under the auspices of the, Greymouth Brandi of the Labour Party, approximately 100 being seated al the tables for afternoon tea. The Mayor presided, and included in the oliicial party were representatives of almost all of the Grey district. local bodies. PAYMENT OE RATES. In reiterating his earlier welcome to Mr Eee, the Mayor said that the houses which they had opened that day wore thoroughly up-to-date, and had given the people modern housing improvements and amenities. They should make the people who occupied them very happy and give them an. iu-tere.-'t in. life which they could not have when they were living in' houses which bad been condemned. 1 Under the circumstances, he thought the Government should be congratulated, and he also wished to cou-

gratulate Air Lee- and Mr Tyndall! (Director of Housing Construction),! together with all those who had been associated with them in their work. Referring to the decision of the Government to pay rates- on the State houses, when they were occupied, the Mayor said that it was much in advance of the old policy, but he thought that the Government should .go “the whole hog” and put itself in the same position as private landlords and pay rates whether or not the houses were occupied—not that he thought they were ever likely to be empty. In conclusion, the Mayor congratulated Mr Lee on the excellent type of house which had been built and also congratulated those who were to be fortunate enough to occupy them. -In the course of his address to the gathering, Air O’Brien referred to the presence of Mr Joseph Taylor, who, he said, had probably established a record in years of local body service. Lt was a red-letter day with the Government, said Mr O’Brien, when they started installing tenants in Stare houses, and he dealt at length with the shortage of houses which existed in New Zealand, estimating the deficiency at 30,000. To overcome this, the Government hud a long job in front of it, but it was going to be tackled, piece l|y. piece, until they had a perfect organisation to house the people. Referring to criticism of the rentals of the houses, Mr O’Brie'i said that within a few weeks they would have a. Motherhood Endowment on the statutes of New Zealand, and parents with a few children would find their rent paid by the allowance. Some people said that emigration should be started again, and his feeling on the matter was that peopie should be brought to New Zealand as soon as there were jobs and homes for them. With the congested countries which must naturally be envious, New Zealand must support a. tremendous population and there -was no reason why it. should, not, while production could be kept on increasing. In conclusion, Air O’Brien congratulated the Department and all who had worked on Hie houses. After recalling some humorous incidents in connection with the State houses, Mr Lee traversed the early difficulties of building up the Department. At present. 5000 contracts had been advertised. 3000 houses had been started and 1100 had been completed, in 71 towns throughout. New Zealand. Referring to the cessation of building activity during the depression, Mr Lee said that the position was now reversed. People who had been forced to live two and three families in a house, wanted a. homo of their own, young people were getting married and Hie birthrate had gone up. Nothing distributed purcliasing power

like a building programme, and as a result of a scheme, all of the industries providing materials for the. houses -were buoyant and again there were jobs for young boys. “We have 'achieved something)" concluded Mr Lee. “We may have made mistakes, but wo are going to go on achieving, and with your help we know we will.’ 'tributes to Mr Lee, to the Government on their housing programme, and to the standard of the houses were paid by Messrs .1. B. Kent (Chairman of thu Grey Labour Party), W. Clayton (Grey Harbour Board-, W. Fisher (Grey County Council). j. Smeaton (Mayor of Brunner), R. McTaggart (Mayor of Ruuauga.), E. w. Heenan (Hokitika Harbour Board). A

11. McKano (Grey Electric Power Board), T. E. Coates (Greymouth Chamber of Commerce), and J. Taylor (pioneer resident of Cobden). Called upon to speak, Mr Rosell, the first tenant, said that he wished to thank Mr Lee for the honour conferred upon him, in being selected to live in the first house. He said that he had had a hard time in regard to housing and- had lived in a. condemned dwelling for five years.

The gathering concluded with votes of thanks to the Greymouth Labour Party and the ladies’ committee for providing afternoon tea and the Mayor- for presiding, and Mr Lee was accorded musical honours. Cheers were also given for Mr M. E. Spiers, who arranged a broadcast of the function through 3ZR. L ABO UK ABmNISTR ATION. MR J. A. LEE’S ADDRESS. Air J. A. Lee, M.P. for Grey Lynn, Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Alinister for Finance, and Secretary in charge of Housing, addressed a large audience in the Town Hall, Greymouth, last evening, on the Labour Government’s administration. At the conclusion of the address, which occupied about an hour and ahalf, a vote of thanks to Air Lee, and confidence in Air J. O’Brien, AI.P., and the Labour Party was carried enthusiastically, A'lessrs Lee and O’Brien being accorded musical honours. The Deputy-Mayor, Air H. Herring, occupied the chair, and introduced Mr Lee. He apologised for the absence of the Mayor, Mr F. A. Kitchingham, who, he said, had a prior engagement.

Air J. O’Brien, AI.P., who was also on the stage, made a brief speech before Air Lee commenced. Mr O'Brien said that within ;t few weeks tho Labour Government will have carried out every promise it. made to the people three years ago. and were going to the people with that basis of achievement as their recommendation. Tho National Health. Social Security, and National Superannuation legislation of the Government, he said, was the terror of the Opposition, who had been reduced to conducting a. whispering campaign from house to house, wit li women paid Cl a day. telling tilt' people of New Zealand what they would have to put up with if the Labour Government were returned to power. Pcrsomilly, he had always conducted hm campaign without persomtlit i(>s. and Imd been congratulated on this by Mr T. E. Y. Seddon. but he was afraid that he would not be able to do .so on this occasion, on account of the ma I icion,s propaganda which was being carried’ from door to door. However, as Mr Lee bad said, “for every lie they tell about, us. we. will tell six truths about them.’ ”

Mr Lee, who was greeted with applause, said ho had no doubt as to the result of the contest, at the coming elections, for everywhere, he went, he found Labour advancing, ami the “enemy’’ with the knowledge that they were lighting a. losing battle. The pi ophets of gloom were abroad in (Inland. with Mr Hamilton as the foremost prophet, bewailing what they stale will bo the late of Neu- Zealand if Labour is returned to power. Labour stood on a. foundation ot solid achievement, and they could not criticise the enemy police, for they did not have

one, but they could compare the past efforts of the Forbes-Coates-Hamilton Governments with the achievements of the Labour Government. More goods were being produced in New Zealand under Labour than ever before. The increase in the value of production was larger after the first full year of the Labour Government than in any previous recorded year. Increased purchasing power provided for all. as opposed to the retrenchments of the, previous Government, had’ made for Hie present prosperity under Labour. There was a. large increase in the opportunities for employment. in the first year of the Labour Government, as against the best full year previously. Opportunities for boys and girls were increased manifold, and whereas under the Forbes-Coates-Hamilton Government apprentices declined by 6,898, the prospective increase in the number of apprentices up to March, 1938, under the Labour Government was a.(too. Following the -wage-cuts and general retrenchment, of the previous Government. unemployed reached a total of 79,135, but. under Labour’s Government, this total had been reduced to 7,211 by February, 1938, and which was more, all the employed were on living wages. Nearly 7,000 more men were employed on Public Works at the end of 1937, than in the last year of the Forbes-Coates-Hamil-ton Government. Under the guaranteed price scheme, Labour had guaranteed I he farmer against a fall in overseas prices, while woolgrowers under the first full year of Labour received £6,000,000 more than in the previous season. Dairy- production had increased .£9.700,000 (42 per cent.) under Labour, which had also added more in its first year of office, to Hie pensions bill, providing for

widows, invalids, and Avar pensioners, more than any previous Government had done. The Nationalists had shown discrimination in regard to unemployed Afaoris, but Labour gave equal treatment to all: Labour had made the first improvements in factory conditions in a decade, had inaugurated the guaranteed price scheme fo offset the falls in prices overseas. All Labour’s- legislation had been carried out in the spirit of the pioneer tradition, and the Government would continue the good work, which had received the acclamation of the whole country, carrying Now Zealand to better and greater things. (Applause). Air F. Preston commenced to address the speaker on the Fair Rents Act, when questions were asked for, but the Chairman intervened, and said that Mi- Preston’s question had been satisfactorily answered in the hall on previous occasions. A motion of thanks to Air Lee and confidence in Air O’Brien and the Labour Government, was moved by Air. E. Hillman. The motion was seconded by Air J. B. Kent, who referred to a heading “Westland’s Opportunity,” in Greymouth’s evening paper, when announcing the candidature for the Westland seat, of Air Taylor. He agreed it was Westland’s opportunity —their opportunity to show their appreciation of Mr O’Brien’s great work for Westland. « J'he motion was carried by acclamation. A vote of thanks to the Chairman was also carried, amidst applause.