STATE ADVANCES LOANS AND HOUSING POSITION

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7134, 4 February 1930, Page 6

STATE ADVANCES LOANS AND HOUSING POSITION

Curtailment Denied APPLICANTS OFFLBED ABANDONED SECURITIES ' •' & IN LIEU OF NEW HOMES. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. A denial of a published suggestion that State Advances loans are to ba curtailed was issued by the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) to-night. Sir Joseph authorised the following statement for publication:—‘‘The declaration in a Press Association message from Auckland that owing to the number of empty houses in Auckland, no further Government loans for tho building of homes will, be made until the situation improves, is not a correct statement of the position. It is wellknown that there is a very large number of empty houses in Auckland and suburbs and tho Advances Department has, in addition, had a number of its securities abandoned, chiefly throughthe difficulties of transport and unemployment. These securities the department is endeavouring to dispose of and to that end, it has been considered expedient to bring these houses, which comprise recently erected dwellings, 09fore the notice of intending applicants desirous of erecting new homes. “Should, however, it not be possible for tho department to satisfy the requirements of an applicant by tho sale of one of the department’s available securities, his application would ba dealt with on its merits, when the housing problem generally would be taken into consideration in conjunction with the circumstances relative to tho applicant and the proffered security. “In any case, where the circumstances justify the Advances Department in entertaining an application, the matter would be dealt with in the usual manner and as soon as it is possible to do so. The statement made in the press that such loans are to cease is ridiculous.” The Press Association message above referred to was sent from Auckland and stated that owing to the number of empty houses in Auckland, no further Government loans for the building homes will be made until the situation improves. The announcement ii contained in a communication from the department. The opinion expressed locally is that the public should have been given a warning. A similar decision is reported to have been made in respect to Christchurch some days ago. In reply to an application for a loan, the State Advances Department advised that no more loans would be made in Christchurch until the position in regard to empty dwelling houses had improved.