OVER 17,500 NEW HOMES BUILT IN N.Z. DURING YEAR

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22971, 14 June 1949, Page 8

OVER 17,500 NEW HOMES BUILT IN N.Z. DURING YEAR

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, June 14.' The record total of 17,522 new homes built during the year ended on March 31 last included 10,162 built by private finance. The remaining 7360 were built either directly by the State as rental houses, departmental houses or Maori houses or financed by the State Advances Department loans. The figures were: State rental houses, 3414; departmental housing units, 1010; Maori houses, 337; State Advances building loans authorised, 2599. This analysis was given in a statement made by the Prime Minister, Mr. P. Fraser, at a Labour Party meeting at Brooklyn last night. Detailed figures were given by Mr. Fraser as follows: Auckland, 4742; Hamilton, 2782; Palmerston North, 2179; Napier, 1015; Wellington, 2125; Nelson, 735; Christchurch, 2455; Dunedin, 1489. Mr. Fraser said the total was of houses actually completed during the 12 months. In the year ended on March 31, 1949, 16,530 permits were authorised by the building controller (private 11,878 and State 4652). At the beginning of April, 1949. the number of houses which had been authorised but not completed was 12,339 and at the end of March this year the. carry-over figure was 11,347, the reduced figure at the end of the period being accounted for by the speeding up of building activities during the year. The record number of houses built was a complete justification of the building controls which were introduced by the Government for the purpose of securing the maximum effect of labour and materials for the building of homes, said Mr. Fraser,