AREAS OF LAND SECURED

Southland Times, Issue 23025, 20 October 1936, Page 6

AREAS OF LAND SECURED

Progress of Housing Scheme DETAILED PLANS IN PREPARATION ACCURATE SURVEYS PLANNED (United Press Association.) Wellington, October 19. A survey of the progress made by the Housing Department since its inception was given by the Under-Secretary to the Minister of Finance (Mr J. A. Lee) to-day. He said thau the Government already possessed substantial areas of land in Wellington and Auckland, and an area or two had been acquired in Christchurch. Investigations were proceeding in Dunedin. In Wellington nearly 400 sections would be available for immediate use, said Mr Lee, and it was proposed to call tenders for the erection of houses on those sections shortly. About a month ago Mr A. Tyndall, wps appointed Director of Housing Construction and the services of Mr R. B. Hammond, who had been associated with town planning in New Zealand, were also obtained. Mr G. F. Wilson, of Auckland, had been appointed principal architect to the department.

Investigation of Land. “The fir:. step to be taken in the Ministry’s housing scheme is the procuring of land in districts where schemes are proposed,” said Mr Lee. “Areas of land which are submitted to the Ministry of Housing will be reported on by the Lands Department and the Valuation Department as a preliminary to the Housing Department’s investigation or recommendation for purchase. The land, once acquired for housing purposes, is transferred to the Ministry of Housing which, first of all, must furnish the land with the necessary public utilities, such as roads, water supply, drainage and lighting and so on. In cities where land has been acquired a good deal already has been provided with the necessary public utilities and a great benefit will result to local bodies by the sharing of rating charges when such land is built on. “Detailed plans of houses to be erected are now being prepared,” said Mr Lee. “An important feature of the Government’s policy is that the Ministry of Housing, while securing the benefits of mass production, will contrive to give each house an individual appearance. A condition of this sort necessarily demands a great deal of prior preparation for this individuality of appearance must go hand in hand with planning designed to keep costs to a minimum. For instance, while the outside of each house will be distinctive in appearance the actual ground plan, involving the arrangement of rooms, will not be varied to the same extent. In a group of 500 houses there may be 10 houses with the same ground plan, although these houses will not be situated near one another, as plans and specifications for a number of designs are completed.” Quantity Schedules. “Accurate quantity schedules are being prepared,” said Mr Lee. “The preparation of these quantity schedules must take an appreciable time, but it is obviously the most sensible course for the Department to take. If tenders were called without accurate schedules of quantities being supplied, every contractor interested in tendering would have to set about taking out his own quantities. From an economic point of view this would be wasteful and would eventually have to be charged to the cost of the houses. Accurate schedules of quantities are also required by the Department, so that negotiations can be opened up in advance of construction with firms which manufacture building materials in New Zealand. This procedure will give firms time to prepare for the additional output likely to result from the Government’s building policy and will enable the Ministry of Housing to secure equitable price adjustments to give all builders and contractors in the country a reasonable opportunity of tendering. We propose, when calling for tenders for large contracts in the main centres, to give builders and contractors an opportunity of tendering for groups of houses numbering 20, multiples of 20 or the whole contract.” Administration of Act.

“While the Government is convinced that a real housing shortage exists throughout the country—indeed the shortage was recognized by the last Government —it is still thought necessary to have an accurate survey made to locate the areas of greatest urgency,” he said. “The Housing Survey Act was passed in 1935, but the regulations under the Act have never been issued and the period of operation of the Housing Survey Act terminates on December 31, 1936. Provision will be made for extending the period during which this Act will operate. The administration of the Act is vested in the Minister of Internal Affairs, but the Government proposes to transfer the administration of the Housing Survey Act to the Ministry of Housing. The amendments necessary to give effect to these intentions vzill be placed before Parliament before the end of the present session. As soon as the necessary amendments are passed, the regulations will be issued and the Ministry of Housing hopes to have the co-operation of the local authorities of the Dominion in having housing surveys carried out. The surveys completed, an effort will be made to undertake the schemes in the order in which the survey has determined their urgency.