PARLIAMENT.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 19 December 1924, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

— HOUSING PROBLEM. NEW METHODS FAVOURED. ' FOOD PRICES. BY CABLE —PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT LONDON, Dec. 17. In the House of Commons in the debate on the Address-in-Reply, Mr Wheatley moved the Opposition amendment on the subject of the housing problem, ex-iressing regret a.t tho Government's neglect of the interests of the working' classes. Mr Neville Chamberlain contended that his Housing Act of 1923 stimulated building. Referring to the new cheap and quick methods of construction, he described Lord Weir’s proposed steel houses, consisting of a timber frame lined with steel plate outside, and material of wood pulp and asbestos inside, and . said these would cost substantially less than brick production and afford a large field for employment. He was impressed with the type of house, notwithstanding certain, disadvantages, and had, therefore, arranged to allocate a sum of money to local authorities to enable them to obtain some, which he hoped would be primarily used for demonstration purposes.

The amendment . was rejected by 356 votes to 136. -

Replying to a question, he said he did not doubt that the Royal 'Commission on Food Prices and the Imperial Economic Committee would investigate the advantages likely to accrue W Britain and the Dominions by the storage and marketing of wheat and other foodstuffs here directly from the Dominions.