HOUSING PROBLEM

Taranaki Daily News, 20 November 1937, Page 8

HOUSING PROBLEM

MR. WILKINSON'S QUERX STATE ADVANCES LOANS MORE GENEROUS HELP ? Mr. C. A. Wilkinson (Opp., Egmont) in. the House of Representatives referred to the question of No. 4b relative to the State Advances Corporation, and asked the Government if it could make an announcement what it was prepared to do in the direction of making advances to private people for the building of homes. Apparently there was some doubt regarding the amount that could be borrowed for house building purposes, and he felt certain that if the Government would go into the question of increasing the advances which could be granted with safety for the building of homes, that would overcome a good deal of its housing difficulties by providing people with facilities to build their own homes, said Mr. Wilkinson. This was a position which should be carefully considered by the Government. In years gone by as much as 95 per cent. of the security was advanced by the Government. It might be true that a good deal of money was lost under that system, but it would pay the Government to risk a little to provide the necessary encouragement to those who would like to build for themselves. No matter what it did it was not possible for the Government to provide homes for all the people all over New Zealand. The Government's policy could only be eifective where it was necessary to build many houses. He believed the Government was genuinely anxious to assist people to build houses for themselves, but the people were not being given the necessary facilities for them to do that, and it would overcome a lot of trouble if the present Government adopted the policy which was previously in operation. The building of a house was an individual matter. A man employed on a farm could not build a house under the Government's plan. The Government should make most generous advances to those who were willing to build for themselves.