HOUSE BUILDING SCHEME

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 26 January 1933, Page 7

HOUSE BUILDING SCHEME

TO ABSORB UNEMPLOYED. SUBMITTED TO HAWERA -CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. Mr A. 11. Vile, who is at present on a brief visit to Hawera, is addressing the Hawera Chamber of Commerce concerning his house-building scheme. Briefly, this scheme contemplates terminating building societies in every town, each .with a membership of 8000, at 2s Gd each. When a society is filled, a draw is made, and the lucky member has a house erected for him free of cost to the total value of the pool, less 10 per cent. The advantages claimed for the scheme are -that the "building and allied trades throughout -the- Dominion would bo revived, that a cooperative effort would be made to place unemployed in occupation at standard wages, and that the prize money would be- expended entirely in the town in which it was subscribed.

As there is a strong element of chance in the proposal, Mr Vile recently wrote the Primate of New Zealand, asking if the- religious -community would offer objection. Archbishop Ave.rill has -replied, under date January- 13, expressing the view that the scheme is altruistic, -that it possesses no stronger element of chance than ordinary ballots lor land, and that no “reasonable-minded person’’ would object to> it.

The' scheme is to be discussed at the next meeting of the Hawera Chamber of Commerce. '