PROGRESS MADE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20803, 11 August 1937, Page 14

PROGRESS MADE

T.IE HOUSING SCHEME By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, August 9 Since the inception of the Government housing scheme last year, tenders have been called for the erection of more than 1400 houses, according to a statement by Mr J. A. Lee. who is visiting Auckland. “In the majority of cases tenders have been let or actual building operations are proceeding. Schemes are also rapidly being developed to serve other districts. Building is either under way or operations are ab ut to start at Lower Hutt, Mirimar, and Johnsonville in Wellington; at Orakei and Otahuhu in Auckland, and also in Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Oamaru, Thames, Whakatane, New Plymouth, Masterton, Wanganui, Palmerston North and Westport. Tenders are being called for houses on the Casey estate, Auckland, and for the schemes at Whangarei, Tauranga, Napier, Hastings, Levin, Patea, Hawera and Timaru, and also additional schemes in Christchurch and Dunedin.

Other towns are also receiving attention, but owing to the difficulty in negotiating satisfactory purchases of land, the schemes are slower in starting. Altogether land for housing has been purchased in 40 different towns.” Answering criticism that the rents were too high for workers, Mr Lee said: “I should like to know where the toiler can get houses even at a figure comparable to our rents. The Orakei houses will be 10/- or 15/- a week cheaper than would be paid for a similar type of house. There is a substantial saving on the land purchased for housing pui’ixises by the previous Government. In many cases this saving amounts to about 40 or 50 psr cent.” He added that there were occasional complaints ir the matter of contracting that the housing scheme was a oneman show. Actually there were at least 30 different contractors at work on the various schemes.