MUNICIPAL HOUSING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25306, 17 August 1943, Page 2

MUNICIPAL HOUSING

MARKED ADVANCE IN'COSTS REHABILITATION ASPECT The reinstitution of the municipal housing scheme was urged by a deputation from the Returned Services’ Association which waited on the City Council some time ago. A letter from the town clerk (Mr R. A. Johnston) came before the executive of the association at its meeting last night, stating that the council had communicated with the State Advances Department, but nothing definite had emerged which would enable the council to formulate proposals for a housing scheme as a rehabilitation measure. No information had been received from the Government of the terms on which it might be proposed to provide finance or subsidise expenditure by local bodies on works put in hand for after-war rehabilitation purposes, the letter stated, and the only advice the council had had was from the State Advances Department that finance for housing would be available on the same terms as before the war.

The question had been considered by tire council on that basis, the town clerk added, and a number of quotations based on present-day prices had been obtained from builders for dwellings which they had erected for tire council under the former municipal scheme. These revealed marked advances all round, and if, as it appeared at present', the former Government lending rate to local bodies was to remain in operation, the attractiveness of the former municipal housing scheme almost wholly vanished. Until the Government clarified the position regarding finance for rehabilitation there did not seem to be much prospect of getting ahead. The Rehabilitation Sub-committee recommended that the Dominion Executive Committee should be asked to urge the Government to clarify at the earliest moment the position regarding local bodies and rehabilitation and housing schemes in relation to their acceptance or otherwise by the Government and the financial assistance that would be made available by the Government, including the interest rate.—The recommendation was adopted.