SPEECHES TO-DAY

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20862, 21 July 1939, Page 6

SPEECHES TO-DAY

HOUSING PROGRESS REVIEW BY HON. H. T. ARMSTRONG SCOPE FOR PRIVATE WORK (By Telegraph.—Special to Times) WELLINGTON, Friday Resuming the Address-in-Replv debate this morning, the Minister of Housing, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, continued has speech, which was interrupted by the adjournment the previous evening. When the Government had assumed office, he said, 83 per cent of the skilled artisans in the building trades were on the dole, while the unemployment funds were being used to ass.st insurance companies, hotels and freezing companies, to build new buildings —in fact, the money was being used for anything and everything but building houses for the people. Since 1936, said Mr Armstrong, the housebuilding vote had been doubled, and in 1939 some 914 more bouses were being built than in 1927, which previously was the record year for housebuilding in New Zealand. That was a complete answer to those people who said the private enterprise was being driven out of house-building. Mr J. Hodgens (Government — Palmerston North) dealt with defence and criticised the Opposition’s contention that universal military service was ' necessary. Mr Hargest, he said, wanted a standing army of forty to fifty thousand in New Zealand. Heaven only knew what lie would be like in the event of war. The House adjourned at 1 p.m.