STATE HOUSES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25013, 2 October 1944, Page 6

STATE HOUSES

35,578 NOW WAITING

AUCKLAND HEADS LIST There are now 35,578 ex-servicemen and civilians throughout New Zealand who are awaiting the allocation of State houses, according to the latest report of the Rehabilitation Department. The extent to which the building programme is lagging behind the demand for State homes is shown by the fact that, while 274 houses or Hats were allocated to the public during August, a further 851 applications were lodged, so that at the end of the month there were 577 more people awaiting State houses than a month before. Among the Dominion total of 35,578 unsatisfied applicants, there are 4054 ex-servicemen. These include only men returned from overseas, widows of deceased servicemen and wives of prisoners of war, as home servicemen are classified as civilians. Persons in these categories are entitled to 50 per cent of the State houses allocated, but during August the percentage was slightly lower, for of the 274 houses allocated 134 were given to ex-service-men. _ In Auckland alone there are 1375 exservicemon and 13,776 civilians on the waiting list for State homes. Similar figures for other centres are:—Wellington, 1243 and 10,808; Christchurch, 503 and 2587; Hamilton, 289 and 1402: Dunedin, 206 and 975; Napier, 156 and 866; Nelson, 113 and 517; New Plymouth. 125 and 439; Invercargill, 44 and 154. During August 75 State houses were allocated to the public in Auckland, 38 of these going to ex-servicemen. In spite of Auckland's claim to be the. centre with the greatest number of unsatisfied applicants, 9L houses_ were made available in Wellington in the same period, 46 being given to ex-ser-yicemen. Allocations in other centres in August were as follows, the number given to ex-servicemen being shown_ in parentheses: —Hamilton, 16 (7); Napier, 20 (10); New Plymouth, 14 (4); Nelson, 6 (4); Christchurch. 31 (18); Dunedin, 15 (7); Invercargill, 3 (0).

CUSTOMS REVENUE INCREASE IN AUCKLAND RECORD SALES TAX TOTAL A record amount of sales tax was collected at Auckland in September, according to figures issued by the Customs Department. The total was £124,827, which is £2605 more than the previous record of £122,222 collected in December, 1943. Total revenue collected last month was £001,851. an increase of £74.829 on the total for September, 1943, all items being higher. The total for the first nine months of this year was £0,244,858, compared with £5,356,425 for the same period of 1943. The amounts for last month, with those for September, 1943, in par en theses, are: Customs, £175,107 (£104,734); War Expenses Account, £360,373 (£311.996); excise on beer, £31,514 (£29.896); sales tax, £124,827 (£110,396'). The totals for the first nine months of this year, compared with the corresponding period of 1943, are:—Customs. £1,917,740 (£1,623,120); War Expenses Account, £2.980,808 (£2,552,350); excise on beer, £340,677 (£293,876); sales tax, £1,005,633 (£887,079).

SOUTHERN CENTRES Customs revenue collected at southern centres during September was as follows: — Wellington Ch.'ch. Dunedin Customs .. £221,058 £07,421 £35,950 Sales tax.. 117,830 51./203 35,370 Beer duty.. 17,453 23,748 31,877 War tax.. 401,767 354,899 122,555 Totals . . £758,108 £297,361 £225,758 Sep., 1943 757,534 200,230 210,471 Increase . £574 £37,131 £15,287 75TH BIRTHDAY MAHATMA GANDHI The 75th birthday of one of the strangest figures in the modern world, Mr Gandhi, falls today. Revered leader of hundreds of millions in India, he has been in the news for many years at frequent, intervals, crusading for the withdrawal of British rule by boycotts, mass civil disobedience and non-co-operation—all "non-violent" so far as he was concerned, almost always accompanied by violence and bloodshed. These nave been interspersed with fasts "unto death." which always failed to reach that extremity, and with periods of political imprisonment, the last of which ended in May of this year. Mr Gandhi's white blanket, loincloth and spectacles have made him known everywhere, even among people who seldom bother to read about his political exploits. Exaggerated adulation and abuse have been heaped upon him from all quarters. Much undeserved praise came to him from America until the latter part of 1912, when he met the threat of invasion from Burma by suggesting that the Indian people should adopt a- policy of non-violence toward tho Japanese. All sympathy was alienated when the Congress embarked on a campaign of mass civil disobedience which hampered the country's war activities, especially in strategic areas of Eastern Bengal, and resulted in widespread sabotage and more than 900 deaths.

FORTY YEARS' SERVICE

POSTAL OFFICER RETIRES After serving for 40 years in the Post and Telegraph Department, Mr W. M. Bason, supervisor of the oversons mail branch at the chief post office, Auckland, has retired. Commencing his service at Auckland, Mr Bason was first appointed to an executive position when he became mail supervisor _ at Invereargill. He subsequently filled similar positions at Wanganui and Napier and served in the same capacity at Auckland for about three years before being appointed superrisor of overseas mails in 10-10. A presentation was made to Mr Bason at an official farewell at the [tost office and a further presentation was made to him and Mrs Bason at a farewell function arranged by the staff of the mail branch. The present senior supervisor of mails at the chief post office, Mr D. Smith, will be promoted to the position of supervisor of overseas mails.