HOUSING PROBLEMS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VII, Issue 2027, 13 August 1920, Page 11

HOUSING PROBLEMS.

DEPARTMENTAL REPORT. SHORTAGE Or 7400 DWELLINGS. [From Our Own Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, August 12. There was a short but interesting discussion on the question of housing in the House of Representatives this afternoon. The matter arose through the laying on the table.»of the House of the annual report of the Superintendent of the Housing Branch of the Labour Department by the Minister of Labour (Hon. Sir William Hemes). The report deals with the operations 'of the branch from its inception in November, 19.19, and contains an interesting calculation of the shortage of houses in New Zealand.

The Superintendent estimates that the shortage of houses in October, 1916, amounted to ' 4100 dwellings. The houses required for the natural increase of the population and the returned soldiers in 1917, 1918 and 1919 numbered 8100, and .the estimated requirements for 1920, 1921 and 1922 are 6550 houses. The number of houses built during the period 1916-1922 is estimated at 21,800, less demolitions and fires 7000, leaving a net shortage in 1922 of *!950 houses. The superintendent estimates the present shortage of houses at 7400. If arrangements are made under the Housing Act for the erection of 1300 houses a year by the department, local bodies, employers and harbour board?, in addition to houses built by private enterprise, the shortage will be largely overcome by the end of 1922.

The number of houses completed, started, or proposed to be erected by the department since November, 1919, is 1085, aiUl the superintendent believes that this rate can be improved as difficulties are overcome. The chief difficulties have' been shortage of labour and of material. The report suggests that the statutory maximum cost of a house erected under the Workers Dwellings Aet should be increased. The present maximum is £775 for a wooden house, and £BSO for a concrete house. The. Wellington City Council has built fourroomed houses at a cost of £llOO, and five-roomed houses at a cost of £I3OO each. The suggested maxima under the Workers Dwellings Act are £9OO for a wooden house and £IOOO for a concrete house.

The superintendent states that the Government can erect a house for £l5O less than the private builder must charge, owing to its large purchases of materials and its disregard of profits, and he believes, therefore, that even if the eost of building falls, the Government will be adequately protected from Joss.

THE BEFOET DISCUSSED. NEW PORTFOLIO SUGGESTED. When the report was tabled, Mr G. Mitchell (Wellington South) suggested the appointment of a separate Minister of Housing, as a means of co-ordinating and concentrating the Dominion's building activities, and so solving the housing problem for all time. The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill): We shall have nothing but Ministers after a while.

The Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey) replied that, so far as the number of Ministers was concerned, they were now up to the limit allowed by law. Mr Mitchell: Alter the law! The Prime Minister said that that was a matter for the House. He had no doubt that he could find work for half-a-dozen more Ministers while the Session was on, but he did not think that the House of the country would lose anything by the present arrangements. Special officers were administering the Housing Branch. The difficulty at present was not one of administration, but of labour and material. Ho did not think that there would be very much improvement in the position until both became more plentiful. There was a great deal of building going on in various parts of the country—much more than people seemed to think —and every tradesman or labourer willing to take employment on house building jobs could have it at good wages. Hr A. IC. Newman (Wellington East) suggested that quite a number of private persons would be prepared to build houses for letting; only they were afraid that the (fovernineut, under its scheme, was going to flood the country with houses, so bringing rates down and resulting in a loss of interest to those private builders. He thought that many of those would come back into the game, if the tiow.Tumcut could make some statement as to the rents to be charged for its houses. Mr Massey said that he wauled to see fair play done to both landlords and lenauis, and, so far as the (invent merit was concerned, no Injustice would be done to a man who built.