STATE HOUSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23598, 7 September 1938, Page 10

STATE HOUSES

OPERATIONS OF DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURE LAST YEAR OVER ONE AND A-HALF MILLIONS (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Sept. 6. The total net payments by the Housing Construction Department to March 31 last for the purchase of land, the provision of services, the erection of joinery factories, the erection of houses, and all administration charges amounted to £1,523,967. This is shown in the annual report of the State Advances Corporation, which was tabled in the House of Representatives to-day. The liabilities and commitments at that date amounted to £1,666,115. The report states that the progress of most of the housing contracts has been retarded, first by a shortage of skillet labour, and secondly, by a shortage of materials Orders for some materials, particularly tiles, had to be placed overseas because the production of local factories could not be expanded rapidly enough to cope with the demand.

During the yeai' 1 26 loans were granted to local authorities, the amount involved totalling £208,820, which provided for the erection of 192 houses. Seven co-operative dairy factories took advantage of the offer of loans, the amount granted being £7OOO The total expended for the year on new houses was £1,089,227. A total of £332,062 was spent en freehold land, and £60,607 on the preliminary expenses of the construction branch. Up to July 31 this year, the report states, 1094 new houses had been handed over to the corporation for administration The amount outstanding at March 31 on 323 dwellings sold under agreements for sale and purchase was £136,474. and in respect of 810 dwellings let to tenants £500.312. At the close of the year the arrears in respect of dwellings sold amounted to £ 13,604, and in respect of rented dwellings £8892. In addition, there were 360 houses erected during the year under the new housing scheme, the final cost of which was approximately £377,000.