GOVERNMENT HOUSES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19334, 26 May 1937, Page 14

GOVERNMENT HOUSES

POSSIBLE RENTS CRITICISM REPLIED TO (Per Press Association.) CHBISTCHURCH, last night. . "I am not apprehensive of criticism of the rents, having regard to the present building costs. What lam apprehensive about is that other people who are building houses will claim that the rents are too low and it will put them out of business," said Mr. J A. Lee, Parliamentary Under-Secre-tary for Housing, replying to comment about the rents likely to be charged for Government houses. Mr. Lee claimed that the 17s (5d and £1 units in the Government housing scheme, when built privately, were being let to-day from £1 10s to £2. If anybody could find being let to-day a type of house similar to the £1 5s unit., and let at a figure approaching that rental, he would like to see it.

"Some people say we should build cheaper houses, but the most we could do would be to build them cheaper by a very small amount and the resultant saving would not affect the rentals by one penny piece, as the cheapness of the unit would necessitate budgeting for a shorter life period ami higher maintenance. It must be remembered, too, that the figures mentioned in the message from Wellington were the average rentals. In some instances they will be higher, and in some lower, to yield the average we have struck."