STATE HOUSES AT AUCKLAND.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 18 March 1937, Page 6

STATE HOUSES AT AUCKLAND.

COMPANY SECURES CONTRACT FOR 208. NO LACK OF TENDERS. (By Telegraph —press Association.) WELLINGTON, Last Night. Most of the contracts for the erection of the houses for the State Housing Department in the Orakei block in Auckland have been secured by the Fletcher Construction Co., Ltd., whose tenders were substantially lower than nearest, to them under separate eontracts. The company will build no fewer than 208, out of the total of 212 houses for which' competitive tenders were called. The savings to the Statu m respect of 178 houses in two Jarge contracts will be £99 per house. The company has also obtained a lease ol the State's new joinery factory at Penrose, near Auckland, but the rental has not yet been disclosed.

The Prime Minister announced this evening than 109 tenders were received I for 36 contracts for houses in the Orakei scheme. "Two large contracts, comprising 92 and 87 houses respectively, will be awarded to .the Fletcher Construction Co., Ltd.," said Mr. Savage. "Of the remaining 34 contracts, each of one house, 30 will be awarded to the Fletcher Company, as that firm was the lowest tenderer by a substantial margin in each ease. Consideration of the tenders for the remainder is not yet complete, as there are certain discrepancies in the tenders submitted by some contractors, which require to be cleared up. LAND BEING OFFERED TO THE GOVERNMENT. KEEN DESIRE TO SELL. WELLINGTON, Last Night. . "Hundreds of people are offering land to the Government for purchase as sites for dwellings under the State Housing scheme," said Mr. J. A. Lee (Minister in Charge of Housing) in a statement to-day. "The desire to sell seems to be so keen that, within a few days after each is made, a letter is sent to the department asking for information as to' the v position in regard to each particular area. It must be clearly understood that it is absolutely impossible for the Lands Department immediately to advise the Housing Department as to the nature of the land submitted for purchase by the Government. "All offers are filed for investigation when it is necessary for land to be acquired for the State housing scheme. In such cases the Lands Department is called upon to investigate the areas under offer and report on their value. Any other procedure would be impracticable, because the Lands Department would be compelled to inspect and value land which subsequently might never be taken over for State housing.''