FOR STATE HOUSES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 201, 26 August 1943, Page 2

FOR STATE HOUSES

USE OF PUBLIC CREDIT (P.A.) Wellington, Aug. 25.1 “We have spent £23,000,000 hi the building of State rental houses, and we have obtained the whole of that amount from an organisation uiMler the control of the State,” said the! Minister of Finance, Hoin. W. Nash, in j moving the second reading of Finance Bill No. 3 in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. The sumj of £395.000 had been transferred in' profits to the State. Mr. Nash said the use of credit in such a way had been doubted, and he knew that certain gentlemen opposite had doubted it. The Deader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland: You were never so right in your life. The Minister replied that criticism sometimes ought to be made about the use of State credit because, he said, “You cannot play with credit and the! problems of the world are not solved' that way.” The best way to meet criticism of the use of State credit for the Government’s housing programme, continued Mr. Nash, was to point out that 15,000 State Houses had been built with it. If it was possible to do everything with State credit it would be a delightful world. But. unfortunately it was not possible. The State housing programme had been going on from 1937 to 1940, one year of which was a war year. But for the war and the diversion of labour and materials to defence construction and the use ot manpower for war purposes another 15,000 houses or more would have been built inside that period. tai nursing” was carried and will be forwarded to headquarters. Miss Macol r.ehalf ot all the branches, thanked the Wanganui branch for prGv.amg and serving afernoon tea.