Third Edition. WORKERS' DWELLINGS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11642, 21 August 1905, Page 7

Third Edition. WORKERS' DWELLINGS.

Provisions of the Bill Now

Before Parliament.

(Government. Memo.) (By Telegraph).

WELLINGTON, August 21. Following are the provisions of the Workers' Dwellings' Act, which has just b<3en introduced in the House of Representatives :—: — 1. The short title of this Act is "The Workers Dwellings Act, 1805." 2. In this Act, if not inconsistent with the' context, "lessee" includes the legal representatives of a deceased lessee. "Minister" means the Minister of Labour. "Worker" means any adult person employed for hire or reward in manual" or other work. "Workers dwellings" includes land not exceeding ono acre surrounding any dwelling and all outbuildings and sanitary and drainage arrangements nscessary for such dwelling. 3. (1) Tho Governor may irom time to time, by Order-in-Council gazetted, set apart for the purposes of this Act, any Crown land or any land acquired under "The Land for Settlements Consolidation Act 1900." (2) Paragraphs one and two, of section thirteen of "Tho Land for Settlements Consolidation Act, 1900," are hereby repealed. 4. On any land so set apart, the Minister may cause to be ©recto! buildings suitable for workers' dwellings, and may from time to time alter, enlarge, repair, and t improve such dwellings,°provided that the cost of erection or construction shall not in the case of any worker's dwelliug exceed .£3OO. (2) All costs incurred under this section shall be defrayed out of moneys appropriated by Parliament for that purpose in the case of ordinary Crown lands, and out of moneys to the credit of tho Land for Settlements account in the case of lands acquired under "The Land for Settlements Consolidation Act, 1905." 5. Subject to the provisions of this Act, every worker's dwelling shall be disposed of by the Land Board by way of lease for a period of fifty years with right of renewal as hereinafter appears. > 6. Every application for a worker s dwelling shall be in such form, and shall contain such particulars as are prescribed by regulations, including in every case a statement that he desires or does not desire to acquire the freehold of his worker's dwelling, and if ho does so desire, a further statement of the mode in which he desires to exercise such right. 7. Each applicant shall satisfy the Land Board that he is (a) a worker as herein defined, and (b). landless (meaning thereby that at the date of his application he is not either by himself, or jointly with any other person,' owner in fee simple, or the tenant or occupier under a lease, for a term whereof not less than two years are unexpired, of any land in New Zealand exceeding one quarter of an acre in the case of urban or suburban land, or exceeding fifty "acres in area of a value of .£3OO in the case of rural land. 8. With respect to every lease under this Act, the following provisions shall apply: (a) The payments under the lease shall be payable monthly in advance, and shall be at the rate of five per centum per annum on the capital value of the worker's dwelling (being feur per centum for rent and one per centum for depreciation), in addition to the cost of, insuring the dwelling from fire at its full insurable value. Provided that where the lessee desires to acquire the freehold and so states in his application, the rent- sllall be at such rate as is hereinafter mentioned, (b) Such capital value shall be fixed by the Minister and shall cover the capital value of the land, the cost (tf any) of its acquisition, the cost of survey, roading, sub-division, and other works and operations done on the land (including the cost of erection of the dwelling, the proper proportion of the value of so much of the land as is absorbed by roads or streets, and the estimated cost of administration, (c) the lease shall contain a provision that the lessee may, at any time before the expiration of the term, have a new lease for a further term of fifty years containing the same covenants and provisions (including this present provision), at a rent to be fixed by valuation made by three independent persons, one to be appointed by the Minister, one by the lessee, and the third by the two persons so appointed, (d) The lease shall also contain such powers, conditions, and covenants as, subject to regulations, the Minister thinks fit to prescribe, including in every case a covenant to reside in the workers' dwelling, and also a covenant to maintain and keep all buildings and erections in good order and condition to the satisfaction of the Land Board. (1) Every lessee of a worker's dwelling may acquire the freehold in fee simple of his dwelling in such one of the following modes as he specifies in his application: — Mode A. — By payment in cash of the capital value thereof, at any time not less than twenty-five years from the date of his lease, in which case the payments under the lease shall he at the rate of six per centum per annum on the capital value of the worker's dwelling (being five per centum for rent and one per centum for depreciation), in addi&on to the cost of insuring the dwelling from fire at its full insurable value, or

Mode B. — By payment of the capital value by monthly payments, extending (at the option of the lessee) over a period of thirty-two years or forty-nine years, in which case the payments under the lease shall be at the rate of seven per centum per annum on the capital value (being six per centum for rent and one per centum for depreciation), in addition to the cost of insurance as aforesaid, or

Mode C — By an insurance on his life, as provided by section ten hereof. 2. The monthly payments under mode (b) shall be in addition to the rent reserved by the lease, and shall be payable as rent.

3. The amount of such monthly payments shall be computed as follows:— (a)' If the period is 32 years, then at the rate of 2 per centum per annum on the jcapital value of the worker's dwelling fixed as aforesaid; or (b) if 41 years, then at the rate of \\ per centum per annum. 10. If the lessee desires to adopt mode C the following provisions shall apply: — (a) He shall insure his life with the Government Insurance Commissioner for the amount of the capital value of the worker's dwelling ; (b) such -insurance shall be for any term prescribed for made A or B, at the end of which he desires to acquire the freehold, and shall be at such yearly premium as may be prescribed by the Government Insurance Commissioner, for the amount of the capital value of the worker's dwelling; (b) such insurance shall be for any term prescribed by made A or B, at the end of which- he desires to acquire the freehold, and shall be at such yearly premium as may be prescribed by the Government Insurance Commissionser, so as to produce at the expiration of such term, or on his death before such, expiry the amount insured; (c) the premium as prescribed shall -be regularly paid by the lessee, and the insurance policy shall be deposited with the Land Board; (d) on tho maturing of "the policy, the policy moneys shall be paid to tho Board. 11. Whenever the full amoimt of the capital value as aforesaid is paid, the lease

shall, if the rent and other payments, if any, due under the lease have been paid, and the Land Board is satisfied that the conditions and covenants contained in the lease have been duly observed and performed, determine, and the losses shall be entitled to receive from the District Land Registrar a certificate of title (in the form prescribed by regulations under this Act), for his worker's dwelling. 12. The owner for the time being of a worker's dwelling shall reside therein, and if he fails so to do the Minister may direct that the certificate of title shall be cancelled, and the district land registrar, on receipt of such direction, shall cancel such certificate accordingly, and the worker's dwelling shall thereupon revert in tho Crown.

13. (1) No disposition of the lease or freehold of any worker's dwelling shall be valid except with the consent of the Land Loard. (2) Tho Land Board, in giving or withholding such consent, shall be guided by the purpose and intention of this Act to provide and protect homos for workers and thoir families. (3) For the purposes of this section, "disposition"' includes sale, assignment, lease, sub-lease, mortgage, or will.

14. (1) The local authority within whose jurisdiction any workers' dwellings are situated, may, at any time, by special order, declare it 3 willingness to undertake the management and control of such workers' dwellings, and thereupon the Minister may", if ho thinks fit, by notice in the Gazetto, vest such management and control in tho local authority subject to the provisions of this Act. (2) The Minister may, at any time thereafter (if satisfied that the local authority is not properly managing such workers' dwellings), revoke such notice, and on the gazetting of such revocation, th© management and control of tho -workers' dwellings shall revest in the Land Board.

15. On th© gazetting of any notice under the last preceding section, vesting the management and control of any workers' dwellings in a local authority, the capital value of such buildings, fixed as aforesaid, or as much thereof as remains unpaid by the lessees^ shall be deemed to have been advanced to the local authority by the Colonial Treasurer under "The Local Bodies Loans Act, 1901* and the provisions of that Act shall, mutatis mutandis, extend and apply accordingly. 16. All moneys received under this Act shall be paid into the Public Account, and shall, in th-2- case of ordinary Crown lands, form part of the Consolidated Fund, and in the case of lands acquired under "The Land for Settlements Consolidation Act, 1900," be credited to the Land for Scttle>ments Account.

17. Tho Governor may, from to time, by Order-in-Council gazetted, make such regulations not. inconsistent with this Act as may Ife necessary to the effectual carrying out of this Act.

18. The Minister shall, within twenty days after tho commencement of each session, lay before Parliament a statement for the preceding financial year showing (a) the moneys expended during the preceding financial year in acquiring land under this Act, arid in preparing th© same for workers' dwellings, and in erecting such dwellings, and (b) the number of dwellings erected, th© total tumber of dwellings leased, and the number of dwellings leased under section nine hereof. 19. Section fifty of "The Land for Settlements Consolidation Act, 1900," is hereby repealed.