STATE HOUSING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 305, 24 December 1937, Page 8

STATE HOUSING

ACTIVITY AT AUCKLAND INTENTIONS OF GOVERNMENT SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER [ Per Press Association. ] AUCKLAND, Dec. 23. In his shirt sleeves and assisted by members of Parliament in similar workmanlike attire, the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) assisted in carrying furniture into one of the new State houses at Orakei. It was not the first of the houses to receive a tenant, but the installation of one family in their new home was regarded, more or less, as an official opening of the Orakei housing scheme. The tenants who were installed today were Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Skinner and their small boy. When the Prime Minister arrived, accompanied by the Mayor (Sir Ernest Davis) he was welcomed by Mr. J. A. Lee, Parliamentary Under-Sec-retary in Charge of Housing. There was an attendance of about 300, including members of Parliament, officials of the Labour Party and workmen from the contracts, which are still in progress. Prime Minister Pleased “1 am delighted and proud to be the head of the Government responsible for the erection of so many fine homes in such a locality,” said the Prime Minister. "The housing scheme has only been in operation a little over 12 months. Actual building work only started last March, but to-day there are about 6000 men directly and indirectly employed. Tenders have been called for the' construction of 2300 houses in 56 different towns, and satisfactory tenders have been received for 1769 houses in 44 different towns. The average number of houses in each contract is five, and, altogether, S 3 different contracting firms are engaged in the scheme. Roughly £1,500,000 has been spent to date.

"We have a long way still to go," Mr. Savage continued. "There are tremendous arrears which we have to make good; arrears for which we are not responsible. However, the fact remains that real homes are being brought into being and a real home is one of the foundations of our modern civilisation.”

The Prime Minister said that he wished to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Skinner and all others who were to occupy houses at Orakei. He himself believed in the old philosophy that “unless a man’s faith was reflected in good works it profited him nothing.” In the houses at Orakei the Government had something to show for its faith, but it held the view that what had been done was only a start. Trying to Cater For All "In this housing scheme we are trying to cater for everyone,” Mr. Savage continued. "We do not claim perfection, but we do claim a considerable advance on what has been done in the past. It is one thing to make possession of a home possible, and it is another thing to ensure a sufficient income for the running of the home. That is another part of our job. We want to see people in their homes with sufficient income from their work to be able to enjoy their homes and then, when their working days are over, with a superannuation allowance which will allow them to remain in their own homes with no fears for the future. "We are told that many of these things for which we are striving cannot be done, but I am telling the people in the name of the Government that they can be done, and they are going to be done. I know we cannot go faster than the country’s production, but if we can keep pace with that production we will do all that we have set out to do.”

A Pudding Presented Sir Ernest Davis congratulated the Government and Mr. Lee on the work carried out at Orakei and then, turning to Mrs. Skinner, slated that the housewives moving into the new house.; had very little lime for cooking. Accordingly, he had pleasure in presenting her with a Christmas pudding. References to the success of the 1 housing scheme were also made by ; the Minister of Mines (Hon. P. C. Webb) and the Attorney-General (Hon. H. G. R. Mason), after which Mr. Lee paid a tribute to the help he had received from his staff. "By next March,” said Mr. Lee, we will have tied up about £3,500,000 in housing, and only the other day I told the Minister of Finance that we would soon be knocking on his door again. His reply was that we could not knock too often as long as we kept on delivering the goods. If the present rate can be maintained we should be able to build 6000 houses next year, and only on one previous occasion has that figure been exceeded. If we can only build sufficient houses we may be given power to walk into slum streets and pull down the countless houses which are not worthy of being called homes.” At the conclusion of the speeches the Prime Minister and others divested themselves of their coats and ; assisted in carrying several pieces of ; lif.-'iil’.ire into the house.