NO REAL SHORTAGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 8, 21 September 1943, Page 7

NO REAL SHORTAGE

CORRESPONDENT'S CLAIM

THE HOUSING QUESTION

Sir,—Election time. is. the silly season. Perhaps that explains, the amazing nonsense that is being talked about house building. I/f the position be as politicians, portray it there is a clearer ease lor confiscation of house-room than there is for taking land that is being utilised, for live out of six returned men would not. take land if it were given them and all will need somewhere to live. Building has itself more to do with creating house shortage than most people think., since increased building means more carpenters, tinsmiths, plumbers, carriers, ironmongers etc. etc. who al! need, 11 ouse - room. In 1901 there, was 4.9 persons to each private dwelling in New Zealand ; by 1921 there was, a house for every 4.(j people, and by 1936 when the housing survey was carried out, one house existed for every 4.2 New Zealanders, but, in cities and towns of over 1,000 people to which the survey applied, population per house was slightly over 4. Average rooms per house now being Duilt are 5, excluding kitchen, washliou.se etc., and cost of building, without section, has been well over £200 per room for years,. Since 1935, building activity has increased from 2892 new dwellings to 414;), 4555, 6043, 8093, 8080 and 7147 in successive years. 'Hie whole population does not live jii dwelling houses; there are boarding houses, hotels, institutions etc. Housing many thousands, yet tile. 193(i censusi showed 350,4.99 houses., of wiiicJi (3594 were unoccupied. Overcrowding was deemed,* to occur when there were two or more people to a room, excluding infants anil counting children as half a person. To house, an elfective popu.ation of 1,350,000 less an unknown number who lived in boarding Houses, hotels, schools, institutions etc. there were 350,44!J houses Avitli an average of 5 rooms, (excluding kitchens, natnrooms, etc.), or 1,782,j;)5 rooms, —considerably over one. room per person. Since 1935 the position has greatly improved, as increased building mis greatly outstripped increase of. population, let it is serious!y proposed to add 72,UOO houses, costing about £lsbo each,

a total of £IUU millions. Such u programme, if to be of any use in connection witlL rehabilitation, -would multiply several times, the one-sev-entli of the gainfully employed, who are engaged in building, also those who are dependent on them, and would vastly accentuate the housing shortage, for the more houses being built the fewer there are for non-builders. Cost can be compare I with the value of all town and. city improvements of. which it is aimui half. That half is Lo provide /li/oUt) dwellings, as against 231),0U'J dwellings, pius aii oilier build.ng.s in the •jit.es. and towns, all impioscnients in which were wortii millions in l'Kft/ Uiuess the. £100 millions that, it i-s proposed to spend on adding one house to every three in the towns, (there will be no need loi liual house farm workers, will be in the cities building houses)—is to be spread over so many years that, like Sir Joseph Ward's £70 millions., it is practically the same as the previous programme (and useless for rehabilitation purposes), housebuilding in this Dominion oilersabundant hope of a slump that will make that of the thirties insign.heant. Yours etc., A. K. ROBINSON.