B—l3

Owing to the large volume of applications on hand the selection of tenants has become a major problem. It is the practice to investigate the living-conditions of each applicant and to classify each case according to its degree of urgency. The information so obtained and the submissions made 011 behalf of the applicants themselves are carefully recorded, and regular review of the records is necessary to ensure that the most deserving of the applicants are first attended to. In selecting tenants it is, of course, necessary to pay due regard to the date on which an application is received, but, other things being equal, the degree of urgency is the important factor. Allocations to Ex-servicemen In accordance with the Government's decision, 50 per cent, of all available housing units are allotted to approved returned servicemen, and the selection of the tenants in this category has been placed in the hands of the local Rehabilitation Committees at the various centres. It is unfortunate, but nevertheless unavoidable, that during the war years, and to some extent since the cessation of hostilities, the shortage of labour and material has caused a delay in the completion of housing units, and the number of tenancy applications on hand has shown an increase. This applies particularly to the returned servicemen section. Transit Housing Some alleviation of the difficult conditions suffered by applicants for State houses, and this includes returned servicemen, has been attained by carrying into effect the Government's policy of cp-operating with local bodies who have been willing to establish transit camps. Under this scheme the Government has released to local bodies buildings and material which have previously been in use for military purposes, and in this way temporary buildings suitable for residential purposes have been erected. In some instances the local authorities have decided to select the applicants for these temporary premises, but in most cases there has been an arrangement made between the local authority and the State Advances Corporation for the allocation of space in the transit camps to applicants for State tenancies, and in these circumstances the families are as soon as is possible given the opportunity of taking up permanent residence in a State rental unit. It is pleasing to note that this transit-housing scheme has been adopted fairly generally by local bodies, and in total some hundreds of families will have thus been assisted over a difficult period. Completed Units Up to 31st March, 1946, the Corporation has taken over from the Construction Department 20,267 housing units, and at the same date there were 47,088 applications for tenancies unsatisfied. This includes applications by ex-servicemen, whose needs will be met from the quota of 50 per cent, set aside for allocation to ex-servicemen. Future Requirements It is apparent from a recent survey of these applications that there are quite a number of those who are seeking State tenancies who are to-day reasonably housed in other premises, so it should not be assumed that it is necessary to provide 47,088 new units in order to overcome the present shortage. It is difficult to give an accurate estimate of the number of units that would overcome the immediate problem, but it is felt that if 25,000 new tenancies could be provided within, say, the next two to three years the needs of the most pressing cases could be reasonably met. In saying this we have taken into account the fact that there is considerable activity in building for private owners, and this will naturally have a beneficial effect on the housing position throughout the Dominion. We expect that in the future there will be a steady progress in the erection of houses for ex-servicemen and others who do not desire to be accommodated in State rental houses, and who have a preference for homes of their own.

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