The Northern Advocate Daily “NORTHLAND FIRST” TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 1939. Ballots for State Houses

Northern Advocate, 14 March 1939, Page 6

The Northern Advocate Daily “NORTHLAND FIRST”

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 1939. Ballots for State Houses

Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper ;;

THE HON. 11. T. ARMSTRONG’S announcement that the system of balloting for State houses has been discarded will have the approval ot all sections of the community, to whom it must have come as rather a shock to learn that balloting had been resorted to at all. Certainly balloting eliminates any risk of favouritism or “wire-pulling/’ but, on the other hand, it prevents consideration of individual cases on their merits, and, in allocating the hew State houses, it is of the utmost importance that the most deserving eases should have preference. In the cities, in particular, it frequently seems that early State houses were not fulfilling the Government’s exact object. In the big colony at Orakei, Auckland, one of the first tenants was a gentleman who ;noved in from a comfortable city .flat, whereas there were hundreds of people in the more squalid sections of the city who stood in real need of improved housing, as their existing dwellings were little more than a roof over their heads, and lacked any pretence at comfort or convenience. Many such people have tried over and over again to secure State'houses, but without success. They have written countless letters and have had inspectors examine their living conditions, which in some cases are deplorable, but month after month has elapsed and still no State house has come their way. Since there have been instances where the tenants of State houses have been people owning cars and other evidence of modest affluence, it is little wonder that a deep sense of impatience and indignation has taken possession of many unsuccessful applicants. These people will be the first to welcome the news that the element of luck has been eliminated from the method of selecting tenants. Coupled with the intensified efforts now being made to overcome the shortage of houses in the cities, Mr. Armstrong’s announcement means that the most deserving eases should be accommodated within the next few months.

Already the Government has laid the foundation for the 5000th house in its scheme, but this is less than a third of the total deemed to be required. With overseas carpenters and artisans pouring into the country, the next two years should see enormous and unprecedented activity in this field.

The other side of the •picture is the vast cost of the scheme, and the fact that private building, > owing to the huge increase in costs, is now a negligible proportion of the general effort. But those are prospects about which the Government's present and prospective tenants do not need to concern themselves. It is sufficient for them —and naturally so—that the Government’s effort has made available to them a tine type of compact and convenient house at rentals which could not possibly be offered if the same houses were built by private enterprise.