Works Minister Hits Out At Housing Critics

Chronicle (Levin), 30 January 1948, Page 4

Works Minister Hits Out At Housing Critics

A scathing reply to criticism of housing construction in New Zea- • land was made by the Minister of Works, Mr. Semple, speaking at a gathering in Wellington yesterday. "A snarling, superficial critic" and "these snivelling snuffleJbusters" were terms used by Mr. I Semple in his attack on those who belittle the Dominion's housing policy. "There are 26,000 of the best workingmen's homes in the world in New Zealand," he said. j Speaking at the same gathering, I the assistant-director of housing, I Mr. R. B. Hammond, said he had ! seen a criticism of New Zealand's housing published in Wellington ! newspapers. The article referred I I to statements made by Mr: Clough i'Williams-Ellis, an -English architect, townplanner and author. "What suits England does not necessarily suit the New Zealand , mode of life," said Mr. Hammond. | "Mr. Williams-Ellis dwells largely on the form of house construction in this country, but I would say that if we adopted his recommendations we would have but a quarter of the number of houses we have built," he said. The Housing Department had plans prepared for experimenting with that type of construction, -bul, said Mr. Hammond, it was a .very expensive way of providing houses.