HOMES FOR WORKERS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7450, 26 May 1911, Page 1

HOMES FOR WORKERS

GOVERNMENT'S NEW SCHEME GREAT DEMAND FOR ADVANCES. Eighteen different designs of workers homes, under the State Guaranteed Advances scheme, have been prepared by Mr Temple, architect of “the Labour Department. io bo placed at. the disposal c«f thoro taking advantage of the Government s schomo io assist, the working classes. The designs represent houses ranging in cost from .£l2O for two rooms up to £(120 for eight rooms- Those for four to five rooms nave been designed to-cost from £255 to £325, with 'conveniences, though, of course, iu each case the estimate is exclusive of drainage, fencing, and artificial lighting. - Copies of the plans and specifications, which arc supplied to applicants free of charge, have been scut out by the Advances Department to nil the principal post offices, .where they may be in spec tec.. A worker may apply for any P-nn that suits his requirements, and this, with the specifications, he gets without cott. iho maximum amount which the olhce can grant him to. build his house is £k?o, but in no case must tho amount granted exceed the value of the building. thus a man may have land valued at £3OO or £IOO, but ihe department cannot advance him mere than Uio capital value of the building. ~ • r Intending applicants should not confuse the workers' dwellings .(scheme controlled by the ‘Advances Office with tho older scheme of the Advances to Workers under tho management of the Labour Department,;Os under the latter an applicant lias not, the opportunity of .seleotiusc the site of his home, which he can do ni'der the new arrangements. Under the State Guaranteed. Advances Act lie' gets his section in whatever locality lie chooses, making application for an advance, .and if he has an eligible security he receives the money with which to build his house. Thorn has been giaat eagerness on the part of workers 'ttr avail themselves of the easy opportunity thus presented ct building a home. Up to March 31st last nearly £1,500,000 had been advanced from I the Advances to W orkers branch of the State j Guarantee - Department. . Of tho average of 200 applications dealt with weekly by-the office from- settlors and workers,' at least an average of forty-five applications nro from these desirous of building ' homes, and who for the most pai-ttarof. interested in a. small property 1 on-'whio-ir they wish to bnjld- It■ should .bo k'(»xpjamed for general- information I tlratVtns department cannot lend money I fondhuTnu'pose 3>f repaying existing Imort- / gageS,'f))pt icffily to enable people owning i Bcet'iopSfc'tq build thereon. ..V _ ’ -7f . ' jjf number, of applications eo K'Jtr #ivo coin®: from districts in the.YVql--1 Boston province,: though' from the other ipirtinoes in the ■ Dominion, there,'is a ,‘steady:, etrehm :of requests , for advances- : as-well. : Each application is carefully scrutinised before a valuation is ordered, and if it appears from trie papers that there'is no possibility of an applicant, being able to obtain the assistance required,' he is informed accordingly, with, a view to saving thh'ekpenditivre of. his valuation too.