THE HOUSING PROBLEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17253, 1 September 1919, Page 9

THE HOUSING PROBLEM.

CONFERENCE AT WELLINGTON

STATE ASSISTANCE WANTED.

LOANS TO LOCAL BODIES. [FT TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. Saturday. The conference convened by the Welhrgton Repatriation Board discussed the housing problem yesterday, and passed a number of resolutions on the subject. The conference was presided over by Mr. T. Shailer Weston, chairman of the Repatriate:.! Board, and delegates from the. Wellington City Council, Harbour Board, Returned Soldiers' Association, TownPlanning Association, and Labour Department were present.

Mr. Weston said the Repatriation Board had interested itself in the housing question on account of the scarcity of houses for returned soldiers.

A lengthy motion by Mr. C. H. Chapman urged that a large number of houses, probably more than 000, was required to meet the needs of the Wellington district, that the Government should every possible legislative assistance to local bodies to enable them to erect houses for their employees and for citizens generally, and that the Government, in order to secure local bodies against possible loss through embarking on the housing schemes, should bear one-third of the expenses of each scheme, while the local body bore two-thirds. Mr. Weston suggested that discussion should be confined to • two points, viz., whether local bodies should be left to go in for schemes of their own, or whether the Government should raise a loan for the purposes of housing, and allocate the money among local bodies. Mr. W. Ferguson considered that upon sanitary grounds not 500, but 1500 houses were required in. greater Wellington, and for the whole Dominion no fewer than 20,000 five-roomed houses were needed to make up the present shortage. Mr. J. Reardon moved that the money required by local bodies for housing purposes should be provided by the Government at the lowest rate of interest at which it could be obtained, plus a small overhead charge to cover insurance against loss. The conference decided that no special mention of Wellington should be made in any resolution carried by the conference.

Mr. J. G. Harkness explained the posi- j tion of the Harbour Board. All its mem- ' bers favoured the idea of building houses for employees. He asked what security local bodies would offer the Government for the handing over of some £14,000,000 or £16,000,000 to be spent on housing. Mr. Hunt moved that the Government be requested to immediately set up a Housing Commission whose duty it shall be to indicate to local authorities their n obligations in the matter of housing in ! their districts, to approve housing schemes, and to grant the loans necessary i for the carrying out of the schemes. \ The motion was carried. I Mr. F. W. Rowley, superintendent of workers' dwellings, considered the statement that 20,000 additional houses 'were required in New Zealand was somewhat exaggerated. He said the Labour Department had received authority for the erection .of 200 dwellings, and if all went well with the tenders for the erection of the 200 in question, he had no doubt the Government would authorise a further 200

soon. The Department put into practice | the principle of standardisation and •,' avoided a great many 1 of the expenses at- ( tendant upon private buildings. Although i the Department received only £10 deposit as security upon each house,' the total amount of instalments in arrears at March 31 last averaged only 7s 6d per house per annum. The Department's system was thus on a sound footing financially, and might now be extended indefinitely so far as the number of houses authorised was concerned.

The following resolutions were carried: " That with regard to the loss on any moneys lent by the Government to local bodies, one-third should be borne by the Consolidated Fund and two-thirds by the local authorities."

"'That, wherever possible, the tenure should be freehold, subject to certain restrictions as to residence and sale of property." "' That a deputation, representative of every organised body in the city and suburbs, wait upon the Government during rext week to urge the putting into effect of the resolutions of the conference."

POSITION IH OHEISTOHUROH. j -SHORTAGE STILL INCREASING. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.]' CHRISTCHURCH. Saturday, i The position regarding hous'ng accommodation in Christchurch has reached a •very acute stage,- and there appears to belittle hope of the situation easing for a long time to come. The popular opinion haibeen that the high prices asked for and obtained for dwellings were likely to give way to pre-war values before long. This idea is unsound owing to the demand being very much greater than the supply. Instead" of there being any likelihood of r. slump in tjje Values of house property in the near future there are indications of a further increase in prices unless some definite solution of the problem can be found.