THE HOUSING SCHEME.

Pahiatua Herald, 29 September 1936, Page 5

THE HOUSING SCHEME.

EXPLAINED BY MR. J. A. LEE. GOVERNMENT -READY TO HELP i Electric Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, Last Night. “I feel we are going to succeed a and that we can administer the y Staters credit to create tangible i assets of value to the nation’s home life and health,” said Mr J. A. ■ Lee, M.P., Parliamentary Under- , Secretary to the Minister of Fint ance and Controller of National t Housing Scheme, in an election address at Onehunga to-night, when he forecast the future of the Do- . minion as the result of the Government’s building programme. ‘‘l want prayers rather than your cries for the expediency because I don’t want to issue verbal cheques until there are houses in I our banking account,” said Mr Lee. He spoke of the unique tea- I tures of the scheme, saying it was the first time in the history of a democratic country that the financial system had been used for the purpose of bettering the lot of the people as a whole. Building was a great employer of unskilled labour, he added. No trade was not affected by prosperity in building and since the Government’s announcement of its scheme, more than half the members of the Opposition had referred to the soundness and sanity of it. They now realised that the halting of building activity had been the cause of widespread misery. “New Zealand has known a shortage of houses for many years, but Labour’s programme of assisting the people to find their feet is going to make the position more acute than it has ever been and it must do something to relieve it,” Mr Lee said. Instead of sending young men into slave compounds, breaking their hearts and preventing their marrying, Labour intend- ' d to find them an income so that they might fulfil their rightful destiny in marrying. They would want < homes and the State would have to 1 build for them. The scheme had no- 1 thing to do with the State Advances '■ Scheme, which would continue as at ; present. i Under the housing scheme, land was to be acquired and homes would be erected. In certain features such as sewerage appliances and gas stoves, they would be alike fiut the scheme would be so planned - that 500 or 600 houses would be erected at a time with no two the same in external, appearance. As far as possible it was intended to build them with New Zealand materials. It was hoped the cooperation of the building trade * would be secured. The trade would 1 be assured of a fair deal, but if 1 any person or organisation tried to extort undue profits, thereby creat- j ing an unfair loading cost on j iiouses, the Government would take steps to deal with them and, if necessary, go into the business itself.

‘ ‘We are faced with a shortage of skilled building craftsmen, a legacy from the last Government,’’ said Mr Lee. “However, we intend to discuss with Labour organisations which have been sympathetic toward us, the matter of training young men to be craftsmen. We intend to give them the opportunity that was denied them during the depress i on, of learning the trade. “Thousands of people have already written asking for one of our houses,” Mr Lee concluded. “When the time comes they will be allotted fairly. The scheme will be a long continuing one providing healthy work for every virile young man in New Zealand. The basis of future prosperity lies in the home life of its people. Eventually it is hoped to extend the scheme for the benefit of deserving farmers who are as much entitled to it as any city dweller.”