RECORD N.Z. YEAR FOR NEW HOMES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22954, 24 May 1949, Page 5

RECORD N.Z. YEAR FOR NEW HOMES

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 24. “Again all housing records have been smashed, this year with the huge total of 17,522 dwellings,” said the Prime Minister, Mr. P. Fraser, last night. Of this total 4193 dwellings were State rental homes.

On the basis of four persons a family new housing accommodation had been provided for 70,000 persons during the year ended on March 31. This remarkable achievement was clear evidence of the results of the Government’s policy of controlling the use of building materials and of co-ordinating all constructional effort through the Ministry of Works. He said that an important contributing factor was the wonderful record of the timber-milling industry in eclipsing all its previous production achievements. Mr. Fraser said that housing construction was 70 per cent of the total constructional effort of the Dominion with the exception 'Of hydro-electric work. Tributes Paid The Prime Minister paid a tribute to the Minister of Works, Mr. R. Semple, and to Mr. D. W. Coleman and Mr. M. Moohan, Parliamentary under-secre-taries concerned with housing. He also thanked the officers of the Works Department and the housing construction division for their part in the achievement of the new record in State housing. This had exceeded the objective of 4000 homes. Mr. Fraser said that the building industry in all its branches had excelled itself. Under various headings—State rental housing, departmental housing, rehabilitation housing (including farms, but not including State housing allocations) and State advances to others than ex-servicemen and Maori housing—the Government had since 1936 directly assisted in the housing of 78,621 families.

Allowing four perons to each household, which was a conservative estimate in view of the type of dwellings being built, the Government had housed or directly helped to house almost 315,000 persons. Activities of 13 Years

Mr. Fraser gave the following analysis of Government activities in housing since 1936: State rental homes, 28,951; departmental dwellings, 1852 (both these figures as at the end of April); rehabilitation housing, as described above, 31,456; State advances to others than ex-servicemen, 12,829; Maori housing. 3533; total, 78,621. The Prime Minister continued: “The nearest New Zealand has previously approached any of the post-war figures in the building of dwellings was in 1938-39 when permits were issued for the building of 8093 homes. This latest year’s contribution of new homes is higher than our most optimistic hopes. "In 1946 the Labour Party’s manifesto stated as its objective the building of 12,000 new homes yearly for five years. Of that objective of 60,000 homes 40,000 have already been built in only three years.”