The Times SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1939. The Housing Tragedy

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 41, 18 February 1939, Page 4

The Times SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1939. The Housing Tragedy

Food, shelter arid clothing are the three primary essentials to living. In a civilised state shelter is represented by housing. To a very large degree the standard of living of a people may be measured by the housing conditions they enjoy or fail to enjoy.

The acute housing shortage seen to-day in this Dominion is a reproach to our standards of life, a reproach made the more grave, in that there can be blamed for it only ourselves as a nation. i\'o groat destruction by Nature laid waste our homes. The shortage has come through failure to build.

Speaking in Auckland a few days ago the Minister of Labour, Hon. P. C. Webb, spoke of “people crying out for houses,” a statement almost literally true. The Minister made further reference to the subject, including Governmental building plans generally and what he had to say had a “Kathleen Mavournecnish” air. This housing shortage may be for years and it may be for ever. Nor does the departure of our city’s very amiable member, Mr. J. Hodgcns, to Australia for the purpose of recruiting additional building workers inspire here overrosy hopes.

That good intentions inspired and do still inspire the Government’s housing policy is frankly conceded. But good intentions so often have failed to give good results. Consider the facts:—

There is an officially reported shortage of 3,0,000 houses as at a year ago. Ten years earlier there was a call for 7000 houses annually. Private enterprise provided these 7000 houses.

Allowing for growth in population, 7800 houses should have been built of recent years. But in 1936 and 1937, only 4140 and 4550 houses respectively were erected. .There should have been almost 7000 more houses during those two years.

In 1938 we again fell behind a proper schedule. It does appear that a shortage of 10,000 houses has been somehow caused in these past three years. No wonder that “people are crying out for houses. ’ ’

In order that a remedy may be suggested reasons for tho predicament must be examined. And when tho whole subject is reviewed the verdict must be faithfully given. The sole “time bill” is that tho Government’s housing policy has been a disastrous failure. Extreme rental restriction legislation, the venture of tho State upon home building and an induced, extraordinary rise in building costs, have created tho existing situation.

We have within our bounteous land the master tradesmen, the bricks, mortar and boards, as we had ten years ago, but the houses have not arisen as they did then. The Government three years ago blighted the greatest building revival New Zealand would ever have known. Home comfort was killed by good intentions.

Sheer criticism without construction deserves but halfrespect. The best criticism is that which offers an alternative policy. Such a policy there was open to the Ministry three years ago. Briefly this was to relax and gradually withdraw all rent restriction legislation, to encourage, by special taxation clauses the investment of capital in housing in preference to other avenues of investment, and to stimulate home ownership, by guaranteeing marginal loans by building societies and other such bodies, so that loans could be made to reputable citizens with but small savings. And to keep costs within bounds.

The adoption of such a sound policy would have provided by now thousands of houses above the number possessed. From a politician’s error the people now suffer. Were wisdom to rule at the seats of power the present housing policy would be scrapped as it deserves to be. Its immediate abandonment would bo the greatest boon that could be granted the nation to-day.