HOUSING SCHEME

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 3 October 1936, Page 13

HOUSING SCHEME

GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS TAKING SHAPE IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS SELECTION OF DESIGN AND SITE BY OCCUPIERS (Bv Telegraph—Press Association) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Government’s housing scheme is rapidly taking shape and there have been important developments during the past few days indicating that the scheme is going to be one of the most important ever undertaken by the Government of New Zealand.

Mr Wilson of the firm of Gummer and Forde, architects, Auckland, is to take up the position of architectural adviser to the Director of blousing Construction and Director of Town Planning. Mr Hammond will advise from a townplanning aspect. In discussing the housing question generally to-day the Under-Secretary to the Minister of Finance, Mr J. A. Lee said that there had been criticism in regard to the Orakei area in Auckland. It had been stated that it was possible there would be fair-sized bungalows for higher paid skilled workers, or that there might be cottages similar to those built by the Auckland City Council, or the standard type of railway cottage. Mr Lee said there would be nothing like that, and it was more than possible that there would not be two houses alike in one street. The houses would not be only for higher paid workers. The Prime Minister had determined that working people should have their share of the choice of sites. The areas would be designed on the best townplanning principle, and the Housing Department felt that the scheme it would put into operation would make Orakei and other areas such as Hutt Valley, garden suburbs in a true sense of the term. It is understood that while the houses will be constructed to a certain standard, those applying for houses will be allowed to select their own designs.