WORKERS' DWELLINGS

Waikato Times, Volume 93, Issue 14536, 7 December 1920, Page 5

WORKERS' DWELLINGS

THE POSITION AT TE AWAMUTU. NO ADVANCES TO APPLICANTS. WHERE THE BOROUGH WAS MISLED. The Te Awamutu Borough Council some time back raised the sum of 1)10,000 for workers' dwellings. A contingency has now arisen, and one which has placed the Council and applicants in a position which was not expected. It has arisen from the fact «that the Municipal Association Solicitor has advised in regard to workers' dwellings that it would be illegal for the Council lo advance money on first mortgage, as proposed. Being State Advances money the Council would have to erect the dwellings and let to the tenants. The applicants for advances under the housing scheme attended the meeting last night, and the circumstances were briefly reviewed by the Mayor. The Council, he said, had proceeded with its negotiations after taking advice as to the procedure, but it laLer transpired that the Council could not make advances to applicants lo erect the dwellings on their own land, and several legal opinions had been taken. The law appeared to be difficult to interpret, and it was only last Thursday that dollnite advice had been received. The Council had been distinctly told it had itself to build these houses on ils own endowment landfc. The desire was now to set the position before the applicants.

Cr Lawson, chairman of the L-;gol and Fincnce Committee, submitted a good deal of correspondence, which hid ended in Mr J. A. Young, M.P., tax'.ng the Minister with a question from the floor of the House. The reply on thai occasion seemed to make the Council's position quite clear, but it seemed that the Minister's reply applied only when the money was secured from private money lending institutions and not from the State Advances Office. The Council had, exhausted every possible means at its disposal, and now had to reta:u the ownership of these houses for all time.

Cr Oliphant said the returned so ! dier members could secure adequate advances under the repatriation scheme. Cr Clark expressed the Council's willingness to assist the applicants in any negotiations they may take up with the State Advances Department.

After a short discussion the applicants thanked the Council for all that i ad been done in the endeavour to assist them. They recognised the difficult position in which the Council had been placed, and that the present position was unavoidable.

The Legal and Finance Committee recommended the Council to invite architects and builders to submit competitive plans for the erection of the workers' dwellings. It was decided to offer a £lO prize, and the plans to become the property of the borough.