NEED FOR HOUSING

Matamata Record, Volume XX, Issue 1828, 29 April 1937, Page 4

NEED FOR HOUSING

MATAMATA SHORTAGE Minister to be Approached The urgent need for the erection of new houses in Matamata was approved by the Matamata Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

In introducing the subject Mr. Griffiths stated that it was fairly common knowledge that teachers had withdrawn applications for positions on the High School staff because of the difficulty in securing accommodation and that the principal of the school had been trying to secure board and lodging or rooms for other teachers. In addition several businessmen had been unable to make Matamata their headquarters, on account of not being able to secure houses. There , were also a number of Government officials in positions of permanence who rented private houses, while in addition other citizens had great difficulty in securing homes. The Government owned four acres close to sewerage and water, this land being eminently suitable for a housing scheme, and if eight or nine houses were built on this area as a model suburban scheme the speaker felt sure all the houses could be rented by officials in one of the State services.

The Minister in charge of the scheme had stated his intention of transferring his attention to the smaller towns. In view'of this the speaker thought that Matamata presented an almost-model opening for the experiment. Such being the case, he thought the chamber should take the matter up, as the erection of such houses for State and other officials would free a number of houses for other people and so serve a double purpose. The chamber approved of the idea, and it was decided to collect full particulars and send them to the Minister as early as possible.

VIEWS OP MR. MONCUR, M;P,

Surprise that the Putaruru Town Board was not taking advantage of the opportunity afforded by the National Housing Scheme of borrowing money at 3 per cent, for building new houses in Putaruru, was express? ed by the member for the district, Mr. A. F. Moncur, at an address given at Putaruru on Friday night. - In order to remedy the shortage of 25,000 houses in the Dominion, 1 the ■jT * ( ” ,' r f. •"! i ; ,i ■' • Government was , entering upon a wide-spread building plan, and' under the scheme money at 3 per cent, was available to local bodies. “ There is no doubt that a shortage exists in Putaruru," he said, “ and you people should prevail upon the Town Board to take advantage of the offer. In Rotorua 32 of the houses were being made under the scheme, which, he said, must turn out successfully to every local body that went in for it.

“ The houses, as far as possible, will ibe made out of New Zealand materials,” Mr. Moncur said. They would be of a superior type, and would represent a class of house much better than what the masses of the people were used to.