HOUSING PROBLEM

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 17 August 1944, Page 5

HOUSING PROBLEM

TIMBER SHORTAGE USE OF ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) Wellington, This Day. “The housing problem is serious and better steps will have to be taken than those in operation to-day,” declared Mr E. P. Meachen (Government, Marlborough) in the House of Representatives when speaking in the Budget debate. Referring to criticism of State housing he reminded members of the Opposition that there was still a war on. The time had not arrived when the country could resume its ordinary domestic economy by waving a magic wand. There was a shortage of building materials at present, particularly timber, and alternative materials would have to be utilised. Millions of tops of shingle could be procured in New Zealand and as lime was also obtainable for cement concrete could be used extensively for holies building. Linen, flax tow and ordinary flax tow could be used for the manufacture of building board. Timber millers had cut out all the timber in the vicinity of their mills for defence construction requirements and supplies would be short for six months or a year. One authority had stated that for at least twelve months and possibly for two years mills would be unable to keep builders supplied. Houses were so urgently needed that materials other than timber would have to be used. He suggested that the rural districts should be orovided with houses in preference to the cities otherwise there would be Loo large a concentration of people in city areas. Thousand of unskilled men could be employed building concrete houses to ceiling height and they could be finished whep skilled men were available. He advocated also the use of camp hutments as a temporary measure. High quality pinus insignus could be used for the frames of houses and h e understood that the Government was willing for that to be done. TRAINING OF TRADESMEN The plan adopted by the Air Force in training its men should be adopted for the training of tradesmen for housing construction, contended Mr J. A. McL Roy (National, Clutha). A lot of hard things had been said lately about the Air Force and possibly some were true, said Mr Roy, but he had been privileged to see some of the Air Force methods of training and it was to their credit that they were able to take youths

from the raw and from all walks life and in a few months turn them into the finest pilots, navigators and mechanics in the world. If that could be done in wartime it was reasonabel and feasible that the same princioles should be applied in time of peace.

Mr Roy said that the Government had to take a big part of the blame for the housing position. Ohe cause of the trouble was due to some of the palatial Government buildings that had been put up such as the IZB and Internal Marketing Division buildings in Auckland and the big block in Stout street. Wellington. He was in favour of spacious offices for staffs but the first requirement was houses for the people.

He also criticised the amount of material used in the construction of camps in the Dominion and the number of men put into the forces. If many tradesmen had been left in industries a much-’ncreased housing orogramme would have been possible in (he last year or two. Another factor in accentuating the housing short-

ace was Ihe Labour policy of making oity occupations more attractive than those in the country thus drawing tens of thousands from rural areas to the cities.