STATE HOUSING SCHEME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18206, 27 September 1922, Page 10

STATE HOUSING SCHEME

THE CHANGE IN CONTROL. THREE YEARS' (OPERATIONS. 10,110 DWELLINGS BUILT; fBX TSLIG»AI?H.—SPECIAL EXPOBTZB.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. When the third reading of the State Advances Amendment Bill was under con. sidcration to-night Labour members repeated their criticisms on the Government housing scheme. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) suggested rfbhat if war came it would be necessary to extend the moratorium. Mr. Massey; It is not impossible. The Prima Minister, in hisf reply, said that the moratorium did not terminate until the end "of next year. He, hoped if all was well, and the Empire did not become involved in a war, that the Government would b© able to make satisfactory arrangements; without much difficulty for meeting the position at that time. The Government was preparing. He wished to say something to the member for Lyttelton. That member, ho thought, could hardly have been serious in offering sucli criticism of the housing statistics. Ho proposed to placo on record the following bfficial figures, showing the number of dwelling houses erected by the Government, and the total cost during the three years ended March 31, 1922: — Houses Completed. Cost. Railway Department I*3 £220,154 State Advanced . . 6.282 3.246.610 Housing Department 310 409,355 D.S.S. Act .. . . 3.300 2,667,000 Totals .. ,'. 10.110 £6.542.119 The document from which these figures were taken, said Mr. Massey, was signed by the Secretary of the Treasury. Mr. McCbrabs had suggested that it was impossible for the sum of £3,245,610 to represent 6282 new houses. The houses, however, were erected in accordance with the provisions of the Advances to Workers' Act, which required the appli* cant for an advance to provide a section and 25 per cent, of the cost of the build? ing. As to the figures relating to houses for which advances had been made under the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act, he had particularly instructed the Secretary of the Treasury not to include old houses purchased by means of advances. He believed that in the total he had given there was no house 1 which had merely changed hands. Every one had been built at Government expense, and a great number had been built under the supervision of "Government officials. He intended <o continue the operation of the Workers Homes Act, which enabled reliable and industrious workers who could deposit £10 to have house built. • He hoped and believed that it would be possible to make the necessary arrangements with the Public Works Department for the building of houses under that Act. The Bill was read a third time and passed.