WORKERS' DWELLINGS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9475, 25 March 1911, Page 2

WORKERS' DWELLINGS.

PARTICULARS OF THE SYSTEM

Parliament last session published a Workers' Dwellings Act, It empowers tlio Minister of Labour to buy land and erect workers' dwellings thereon, or purchase properties for use as workore' dwellings. These properties may be let to workers on a weekly or monthly tenancy, or on a twenty-one years' renewable lease; or they may be sold to workers, payments being on the instalment basis extending over 25£ years. • The capital cost of any of these properties must not exceed £6OO. Only those workers (employed in manual labour or any kind of work) whoso earnings at the time of application do not exceed £175 a year may apply for them, and there is a further stipulation that the applicant must he landless—i.e., must not own, cither by himself or jointly, the fee-simple of any land in New Zealand, nor must he bo the occupier or tenant of any leasehold land.

A great deal of the working of this Act was left to regulations, and these appear in the number of the Government Gazette just to hand. In these it is stated that applications to purchase are to be given priority over applications for the renewable lease or the shorter forms of tenancy, and the Board arc also to give preference to applicants in most need of such dwellings.

Each applicant to purchase a dwelling must state the desired locality and size of the section and the number of rooms, and other particulars of the building. He has the privilege of j selecting one of the designs obtainable ; from.the Labour Department's office, and the Board may meet him over the matter of alteration in the design. A statutory declaration as to his being a "worker," and deposit of £lO must accompany each application. Ho is only entitled to a refund if he with- J draws his application when the Board find, on calling for tenders for the erection of the dwelling, that the cost will exceed their estimate. Should, however, all go right the applicant enters into an agreement to purchase with the superintendent (Mr Lomas). The purchase money is the capital value (less the £lO deposit) with 5 per cent interest thereon. Tho purchase money may be paid either in weekly, fortnightly, or monthly instalments, extending over years. (The second schedule of tho Act shows that if £3 10s is paid on every £IOO capital cost each half-year, principal and interest are wiped out in just under years,) In other words, if the purchaser takes the full term to pay off his property he pays about.£l77 for every £IOO. He may, however, pay it off more rapidly, if able. All properties, while being paid off, are to be insured by the Board with the State Firo Insurance Office, the purchaser paying the premiums to the Board. The purchaser also pays all rates and taxes. If the purchaser makes default in his payments, the Board have power to cancel the agreement. Alterations to buildings can only be made with the Board's consent, and those required by the local authority arc to bo made by .tho Board, and their cost added to the capital cost. The dwellings are subject to inspection on behalf of the Board.

Tho regulations dealing with applications to rent workers' dwellings require that a deposit equal to four weeks' rent must accompany each application. The rental is fixed by Act at 6 per cent on the capital cost, of which 5 per cent is for interest and 1 per cent for depreciation, The tenant pays rates and insurance. On the termination of tho tenancy the outgoing tenant is entitled to compensation for improvements, and the same applies to cases when the agreement to purchaso is terminated. Should the Board acquire one of their buildings which is tenanted to enable it to be disposed of to a worker by way of purchase, the tenant is to have the first option of purchasing.