TRANSIT HOUSING

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 77, Issue 7000, 8 December 1948, Page 6

TRANSIT HOUSING

QUESTION OF ALLOCATIONS BOROUGH COUNCIL TO RETAIN CONTROL The decision of the Transit Housing Committee that the Mayor’s opinion in the matter of the Borough Council keeping totally apart from Rehabilitation allocations of State Houses be upheld, was confirmed by the Te Awamutu Borough Council at Monday night’s meeting. The Mayor, Mr G. Spinley, gave details of a conference between the council representatives and the Rehabilitation and State Advances Corporation. The. position was set forth in a letter from the latter, which he asked the town clerk to read. The letter was as follows:—“With reference to the discussions representatives of this office (State Advances Corporation of New Zealand) and the Rehabilitation Department had with yourself , and Messrs Spinley and Warburton in connection with allocations to your transit units, we desire to place on record the verbal proposals submitted to you so as to avoid any misunderstanding when the subject matter is discussed by your council. “Briefly the proposals are: (a) That the council consider allowing the State Advances Corporation and the Rehabilitation Department (local committee.) to make allocations direct to the Transit Camp without prior consultation with your Housing Sub-Commit-tee, on the understanding that both departments will then make themselves responsible for transferring these tenants to State rental houses as and when they become available. As discussed, certain units, to be selected by the council, would be excluded from this arrangement as it is understood that the council desires to retain control over these units for the purpose of housing members of its staff. The tenants selected by the council, and those whom the council accepts responsibility for, would not, of course, come into line for transfer to a State rental house, as neither this office or the rehabilitation office would have, any say in the allocation of these units to them. There is also the aspect that units housing Maoris and single girls would not come within the scope of the arrangement mentioned, these tenants to remain the sole responsibility of the council, (b) Alternatively, to accord the Rehabilitation Department the same right as has been given the corporation in the matter of selecting certain tenants for the camp, that is, that the selection will be made by the local committee, from those applicants who qualify for the rehabilitation preferential quota, and that before being installed in the camp the local committee will collaborate with your Housing Sub-Com-mittee. In the event of the alternate scheme being adopted, the rules governing allocations will be those at present in force in respect of State rental houses, allocations and not any particular rule at present laid down by your council. In other words, the allocations will be made on the basis of the established principles governing allocations in operation throughout the country. This, of course, is necessary for uniformity purposes. We. would, however, commend for the council’s consideration the first suggestion put forward, that is, that with the exceptions mentioned, you allow the Corporation and the Rehabilitation Department to make the allocations without prior reference to your council. This is the practice that is in operation at Hamilton, Morrinsville, Rotorua and Taumarunui, and in the main is applicable right throughout the country where transit accommodation has been established. It has proved entirely satisfactory in the towns mentioned and we see no reason why it should not be equally satisfactory in Te Awamutu. To enable you. to carry out a review of the 300 applicants for Te Awamutu at present held by you, this Department and the Rehabilitation Department have prepared up-to-date lists of civilian and ex-servicemen applicants for State rental houses in Te Awamutu. We await the council’s decision in due course.”

Continuing, the Mayor said he could not himself agree to anything. In effect, the proposals meant the handing over of the transit houses lock, stock and barrel to the Departments named, and that was not desirable, for Te Awamutu was not exactly in the same position as the towns mentioned in the letter. It meant that they would be handing over £20,000 to the Government Departments. The Rehabilitation Department had a representative on the Transit Housing ComAttee, but the council had no representative on the Rehabilitation Committee. The council’s complaint in the. past had been the short notice given to transit housing tenants to move up into State houses. Cr Russell favoured the Borough Council retaining control of their own housing scheme. The ratepayers in the, borough find the money.

In reply to Cr Shepherd, the Mayor said the flat in question had not yet been allocated. The case of the applicant whom it was wanted to put into it was not a bad one. He (the Mayor) said he was prepared to go back to where they were. If they did so, such action might preclude their tenants from occupying State houses. Cr Quick said he did not like the idea of the. State monopolising the allocation of houses, as suggested in the letter. The Mayor said that if they had some local committee conduct the allocations, he would be happy, but it was not a local committee, for the council was only consulted in putting tenants into State houses. Cr Russell pointed out that it was possible that tradesmen coming into the town would require houses. Cr Hopping moved that the council retain full control of its transit houses and on it being seconded by Cr Quick, the motion was carried. Cr Hopping subsequently remarked that if tenants applying for transit houses were advised as to the position, that was all that was necessary. The Mayor said it was possible that transit house tenants would not be able to move into State houses. The question of allocating the vacant transit house in question was then raised. The Mayor pointed out that they

were advertising for an assistant foreman, whom they hoped to get as soon as possible, and it was decided to hold the vacant flat pending such an appointment.