THE MAYOR’S HOUSING SCHEME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22023, 4 August 1933, Page 7

THE MAYOR’S HOUSING SCHEME

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —The proposals that his Worship the Mayor outlined on Tuesday evening are most ridiculous and fantastic. He proposes to build 300 houses at a cost of £9OO each, or a total cost of £270,000. Towards this expenditure the Unemployment Board would contribute £30,000 and the City Council £IO,OOO. He does not say how he proposes to raise the balance of the money. If this scheme is gone on with the only result will be that more money will be shovelled into the pockets of wealthy land owners, and the City Council or some other public body will have another “ white elephant.” At least 50 acres of land would be required, and I suppose his Worship would go out to Corstorphine and pay 10 times its value for the land required. His Worship is always talking about trying to solve the unemployment problem and praising the Government subsidy scheme, and is apparently ignorant of the fact that, owing to our present rating system, the City Council absolutely prohibits the erection of buildings. Dunedin at the present time is literally “ dying on its feet ” commer cially. and there is no doubt that the principal cause of this is our rating system, which is absolutely killing all industry. If our rating system were altered to the unimproved value system the building trade would got a tremendous impetus and more houses would soon be erected than under the fantastic proposal of the Mayor. At present if you improve your property you are fined as a ratepayer; if you neglect your property your rates are reduced. When his Worship assumed office I expected that he would make a serious ; attempt to stop the present squandering of the unemployment funds, but so far he has not done so. His first suggestion was a very feeble one, and what he now proposes is simply a piece of folly.—l am, etc., P. W. Shacklock Dunedin, August 3.