THE HOUSE SHORTAGE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3811, 21 September 1936, Page 4

THE HOUSE SHORTAGE

ACUTE POSITION IN TE AWAMUTU. POWER BOARD DISCUSSES POSITION. The present house shortage in Te Awamutu was referred to at Friday's meeting of the Te Awamutu Electric Power Board. The chairman, Mr J. T. Johnson, introduced the subject, and briefly referred tb the Government’s housing scheme. The secretary-manager, Mr D. McArthur, said that employees of the Board are experiencing great difficulty in obtaining houses, the position has become so acute that one employee, failing in sustained efforts to get a house for himself and family, had resigned and left Te Awamutu. Others were in the same position. The introduction of the 40-hour week legislation had entailed the Board employing more men. But it houses arc unavailable, married men could not accept appointment. He had made extensive inquiries, and was confident that if twenty more houses are built at once they could all be let “before the builders put the piles in.” The position is regarded as serious, and if the Board increases its gangs of workmen the difficulty is increased. He remarked that it would seem that the Board, in engaging more men, would have to give preference to single men a course new to the Te Awamutu Power Board. Mr Lethbridge.—Do you suggest that we should build homes for our employees.’ Mr McArthur said he was not doing that; but felt it his duty to call pointed attention to the difficulties. Mr Montefoire mentioned that there are quite a number of building sections available. Mr North asked if it would be worth while building on the Board’s unoccupied section? Mr Montefoire.—lf wc do, I think flats would probably be preferable to single houses. The chairman said the Government proposed to make money available for erecting homes, and that it expected the local bodies to build homes. Lo cal bodies could borrow to build. Mr Sutherland questioned whether State money would be available for erecting flats. Mr North said it would be quite safe for the Board to erect homes for its permanent employees. Mr McArthur said the Board would soon have to employ more men, to carry out development work in certain districts, but if married men were to be employed there would be difficulty in finding houses for them to reside in. z Mr Montefoire commented that reasonably good homes mean satisfied men. To a question, Mr McArthur said the Board built the house now occupied by its electrical foreman out of revenue. The total cost was approximately £760. Mr Lethbridge commented that to build the same house would entail an outlay of probably 50 per cent, above that figure. Mr Macky suggested that the Board might inquire from the Government its terms for housing loans. Mr North, who is a borough councillor, said the Council had been asked by the Government for a survey of Te Awamutu’s housing needs. Mr McArthur said Te Awamutu was not singular in the matter of housing shortage. His inquiries showed several other towns in dire need of more houses. Mr Lethbridge remarked that the position will gradually right itself. Mr Monteflore said if the Board decided to erect one or more houses for its employees it could not lose on the business, for it would be catering for permanent employees. The Board was not proposing to build for speculative demands. The Borough Council is in a different position. Mr Macky suggested that the Board might even consider buying more sections and building thereon; perhaps double houses would be preferable to single residences. It was agreed that the secretary manager apply to the Department for particulars of its building scheme.