REPAIR OF HOUSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25802, 24 March 1945, Page 10

REPAIR OF HOUSES

A FIRST PRIORITY TASK

DEBATE IN HOUSE OF COMMONS

(Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON. Mar. 22. Opening a two-day debate in the House of Commons on housing, the Minister of Health, Mr H. U. Willink. said that in view of the tremendous amount of work to be done, including the building of new houses and the repair of war damage, the Government intended to treat the first twd years after the defeat of Germany as a period of national emergency, when emergency measures must be taken, and it would give improvement of housing conditions the highest priority. The Government believed that with, good administration the end of the second year should see house production on a balanced basis. Two hundred and twenty thousand houses should be completed, and the remaining 80.000 houses were due for completion within three or four months. Half nf build I 'ng craftsmen of the country had been concentrated —and would have to be concentrated for some substantial time—in Greater London. By a great effort the winter target of the repair of 719,000 houses was going to be achieved. ~ Mr Arthur Greenwood said the White Paper on housing was even bleaker than “ Bleak House.” Time had been wasted in the past three years and the situation was not recoverable in the next few years.' The problem had been seriously mishandled. He begged the Government and the House in the interests of our stability of life after the war and the interests of harmony in the community and in the interests of ' justice to proceed with all speed on this great task.