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1915. NEW ZEALAND.

WORKERS' DWELLINGS ACT: YEARLY STATEMENT BY THE RIGHT HON. THE MINISTER OF LABOUR.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 18 of the Workers Dwellings Act, 1910.

In pursuance of section 18 of the Workers' Dwellings Act, 1910, I have the honour to present the following statement of the Superintendent of Workers' Dwellings relating to the operations of the Act during the year ending the 31st March, 1915. W. F. Massey, Minister of Labour.

Sib,— I have to report as follows on the operation of the Workers' Dwellings Act during the year ending 31st March, 1915. Workers' Dwellings in Rural Districts. The proposed four rural settlements referred to in last year's report have been duly established by the erection of thirty-six dwellings. They are as follow : Willowbridge (near Waimate), thirteen allotments of an average of 4f acres each; Sol way (near Masterton), eleven allotments of an average of 3|- acres each ; Fairlie, six allotments of an average of 4$ acres each, also one allotment of -| acre; Blenheim, five allotments of an average of 3| acres each. The dwellings have just been completed, and the whole of them are being purchased by the applicants on the instalment-purchase system (by the payment of £10 deposits, and the balance repayable in 25J- years at 7 per cent, plus fire insurance and rates). The payments (inclusive of insurance but not rates) range from 13s. 4d. to 18s. 7d. per week. Rates may be taken at approximately £1 per annum or sd. per week. The table on page 5 shows further details of the dwellings and of the payments to be made in respect of same. Workers' Dwellings Amendment Act, 1914. During the year this amendment to the Act was passed for the purpose of facilitating the administration of the Act. In lieu of the Boards formerly constituted in the various land districts a Central Board has, under section 2, been constituted in Wellington, with District Boards in the various centres where agencies of the Department are established. The maximum capital value of a worker's dwelling was by the amendment extended from £600 to £750. This extension has been necessitated mainly by the fact that workers' dwellings are now being erected on rural allotments of about 5 acres, with the maximum unimproved value of land of £250 : this allows £500 for the cost of any buildings erected. Other minor amendments to the Act are as follow :— (1.) Instead of the first instalment of £10 being required when application for a dwelling is made, £1 only is now necessary in the first instance, and the remaining £9 is called for by the Department as soon as it is decided to erect a dwelling for the applicant. (2.) Provision has also been made, in the case of a concrete or brick dwelling, to extend the period for the repayment of the principal from 25J to 36£ years. It is anticipated that by this means the weekly payments on a dwelling will be reduced by about 2s. 6d.

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