STATE HOUSING

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXV, Issue 12962, 10 September 1936, Page 5

STATE HOUSING

A HUGE PROGRAMME. £3,500,000 NEEDED WITHIN YEAR. RESERVE BANK TO FIND MONEY (Press Association). WELLINGTON,' Sept. 9. Air. Nash, j Minister for Finance, annolinced to-day■' that arrangements had been completed with the ltesorvo Bank lor, the provision of the necessary fluids to commence a comprehensive plan of housing construction. Tlio intention of the Government is to give effect to its monetary policy by tho direct use of the public credit. During the next twelve months, £3,590,000 will bo made available to the Alinistry of Housing, for tlic direct construction of houses for the State and for loans to local authorities for tho same purpose. The expenditure of funds will ho under tho direction of tho Alinistry of Housing, of which Air. Lee has taken full charge. In his first report on the project Air Lp*e said: “It should be first of ,all borne in mind' that' the Alinistry of Housing intends largely to avail itself of the existing building organisations but that, if outside organisations are not prepared to co-operate, the Government will, of necessity, be fo?ced to build houses itself. However, it is believed at this moment that the best result can he achieved by the willing co-operation of all m forested parties. “Tho Alinistry for Housing must b - ! in a position to avail itself of all th ? benefits of large scale production and, to this end, it is being organise! with the object of enlisting the assistance, as far as possible, of private organisations. Proposals for the completion of the housing survey are ho ireg finalised.

“The aims of the Alinistry include tii l : following: (1) Provision of high grade and reasonably priced residences grouped in accordance with the best town planning principles. (2) Utilisation ,of unemployed artisans and laborers in the erection of national assets. (3) Tho houses to be erected will, as far as possible, be New Zealand .made. “As an initial step, a register wii! be compiled of locally produced material’. and manufactures suitable for housing, the quantities available, an 1 the price at which bulk orders can bo supplied. Where New Zealand industry cannot meet the Housing Departnvont’s requirements, British manufactures will he given first preference. “At the present stage, it appears piactical that house building will jnobably be first of all undertaken in Wellington and Auckland, but schemes in Christchurch, Dunedin ana other centres of population, where careful investigation establishes real necessity, will follow as -speedily apossible.