STATE HOUSING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23055, 4 June 1938, Page 15

STATE HOUSING

FIKST YEAR'S RESULTS PLANNING A DECADE AHEAD ELIMINATION OF SLUM AREAS MR. J. A. LEE AT WHANGAREI [by telecraph OWN correspondent] WHANGAEEI, Friday " The Government has purchased Jand for building houses in 80 towns, it has let contracts in 60 towns and it has let houses to the people in 20 towns—that is the record of the Housing Department during its initial year of activities," said the Parliamentary Under-Secretary in charge of Housing, Mr. J. A. Lee, M.P., when opening the State houses on Dobbie's Estate at Whangarei this afternoon. "In Whangarei itself two contracts, embracing 31 homes, have been let and the first 12 are now practically completed, while work is well under way on the remainder. The Cabinet has just agreed to the acceptance of a tender for a further seven homes in Whangarei. Houses in Great Demand "It is not possible to solve the housing problem of the country in one year," Mr. Lee continued. "This will take a decade. When we have overcome the shortage, then we can tackle the job of tearing down a number of the slum areas in the cities and erecting decent homes." Mr. Lee added that State houses were in great demand, and it was difficult to decide the most necessitous cases. For one satisfied applicant they had 99 that had to wait. Mr. J. G. Barclay, M.P., paid a tribute to the co-operation of the Whangarei Borough Council in the Government housing scheme in the town. He mentioned that the land had been purchased at about £6O an acre. Council's Experience The Mayor, Mr. W. Jones, said that the Borough Council had in 1921 embarked on a house-building scheme and erected 70 houses at a cost of £40,600. Owing to the unfortunate experience with this scheme through the depression years the council did not embark on a further scheme, but he was gratified that the Government had proceeded in Whangarei and congratulated it on the achievement. Private enterprise was also busy in Whangarei, there being one house completed ©very 11 days. A survey disclosed that there were only 44 unsatisfactory homes in the borough. The members of the official party assisted in the removal of the furniture to one of the new houses. FURTHER CONTRACTS LET ANOTHER 115 HOMES [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Friday The letting of contracts for an additional 115 State houses is announced. Of these 53 are for Wellington, seven for Wbangarei, six for St. Heliers, 26 for Napier, 11 for Hawera, and 12 for Temuka. ADVICE FOR SMALLER TOWNS USE OF GOVERNMENT LOANS [by telegraph OWN correspondent} WHANGAREI, Friday The serious shortage of houses in Kamo was*brought to the notice of Mr. J. A. Lee by members of the Kamo Town Board, when, accompanied by Mr. J. G. Barclay, M.P., he visited that township this morning. It was pointed out by Mr. Lee that the Government could not move faster than the labour available would allow. The Government was at present concerned with schemes in the larger centres. Mr. Lee suggested that the Kamo Town Board take advantage, as had 30 other local bodies in New Zealand, of the offer of the Government to supply money for the erection of houses at 3 per cent. The board could then proceed in a small way with overcoming the shortage. Another difficulty in Kamo was the lack of water supply or drainage service. Mr. M Mclnnes, chairman of the board, asked that a large section of land suitable for house building and now Iving idle be made available. It is owned by the Police Department. Mr. Lee promised to return in a year, and he would then again consider the position, but his advice to the hoard was to embark on its own building scheme.