THE HOUSING PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 102, 24 January 1919, Page 6

THE HOUSING PROBLEM

: DWELLINGS FOR WORKERS

; -• ; - LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S PROGRAMME : £ - ; :i ".- i •:■ A Dominion , representative' yesteri'i '■"• ■' : -' , 'cj;jy' obtained from , the. Superintendent i- of' Workers' Dwellings (Mr. V: W. j'v , ,, Bowley); regarding the ; programme'of his branch of the La- ; ibinif.'Department. .'■■,.. ;• "The superintendent stated that the '■■':'.' Department had everything in readi- |'"•„'. , jess to.resume,the erection of works' •.ers' dwellings in considerable numbers i \""~ ".as.s'b'ori-'as' the.'cost of ..building settles )- -V?"' * down sufficiently to enable workers to ",.■"■ obtain dwellings at a reasonable cost. ;•'■ "So far as the funds available from '■"■■■ year to year permit,".said Mr. Howley, ;' ''the practice of the Department is to i. provide dwellings ■ for' the various ap- .' plicants'throughout the.-Dominion in j' .'•: the order in: which the applications are ; made, having regard, however, to the i ;': greater demand that there may ■'be in '"■■' such, places as' 'Wellington. Those •!■'■' ;'-wbrkers.whose.applicationsare received ; -.-.■ jjirst arer therefore given .earlier atten-r I' „;'- '"''iioh : : There are riot many applications '<'- : ' : : . on file at present, although it is well- : / known that the need, in Wellington • ; especially, is great. No doubt the L,'-, . Vorkers' desiring ■ dwellings' 'have 'held S* ; aloo'f-;. seeing .'that it;.has nbt'for some ',■'•' time been practicable to build a large i>: .-"■ number/' 'It would, of course, be.un- !,-.: wise to .build for workers without hav-;.'■■':''ing-definite applications for the, par- .' ' ticular sections and dwellings proposed, !'•'•"■ and without being thoroughly satisfied ■ '.:■ 'as to the intention and ability of each i:'. ; applicant to carry out his financial J'...■■■■'..' Snd other obligations. The Depart- :'. Orient has found it necessary to exercise / the greatest care before it incurs ir'■ : expenditure of' purchasing land and j'■.■■'.-■ 'erecting dwellings to ensure that its :'. : .-'applicants are so. qualified. It is /.■:■■.: worthy of note, however, that the Dβi ■;.'.'paiitment has.by close watching been I -;> : i,,'.yery. successful'in collecting' practically. '; ./..'all of the instalments due by the occuI: '[:'.. ■"-...' pants of the 648 houses. that • have U ''■''' bee&i- erected to.date. . Tho total ar-i ! -.Tears.', on the whole- of the' workers' I ■•.-'-.'■. dwellings, since the.commencement of :'.-■■•'. .Vthe";Act'iiv 190.5, which were not paid ';: .*.,up^wjthin':two weeks of the due date I - j amount to only 7s. 9d. for each dwell-j !''..'.-. ingiper annum, and excepting in two j j S, ;cales,i. these arrears were, more: than ;. ..-'covered 'by'.the. amount of principal (••':-., .'...ilready paid .after- allowing, a deduc- [:". .tionsfor depreciation. 'In the two ;■'■'■'• cases'i-jnentioned the deficiency, was! p ■ \inder.r£7. . ;__ .. . ■-.. '' ■ ■ ■:'."■'.■. "Any worker desiring to make ap- •*. plication may choose any one of twenty- [).'■ thr£e'standard plans prepared by the | ' Department's architect; he may also I I his. application at any time if i Redesigns mentioned or the land"avail- !■'. able7fd6'not meet his : wishes, but if '; : ■: .the -applicant: withdraws for no such '-■.-■' Ro'od-reason after has : S»6no to-some trouble! a portion of the i '.-':-fee—generally-7s:' 6d.—-is forfeited to] ; repay-expenses. : . . i | '. ■; • ■ "As soon as it ia possible to resume i i _. ■ building the ..Department's procedure j ;■■'•. will be as follows: —The applications of | : applicants will be placed ;.--.';.: in" their 'order and.the number decided • Ujupon,, x according to I .the. funds availj;:.:,.' Sblei will be selected , by the board. If .-' land is not already available and it is ' ~ necessary to purchase, an ■ advertise- ;'."-.■■' : ment will then be inserted in the newsi :'•■. papers'inviting offers of .approximately \ '.'.""■'' theVarea required and in the localities ' '■; desired —the offers to' be forwarded j. ; fourteen:days.'- '■ At the :. ; >:;..- of Vthat' time the best of ;:."'■ land "offered will, be .chosen. /As ! : ; .. the dwellings; are nearing comL:'-;, JJeticin they will be"offered- to the ap-j.rY.'.prp^ed-applicants, v If an applicant j i." r -TVjthdra.ws his-place will be taken by i ; ; : ; next on the list. In other places :-:'-;' : -than'.,Wellington,, where . the demand ; v for.,.dwellings', is not so.'great, the De- (':■'.■' partinent.usually requires the selected I ;■ .; 'to sign-'preliminary agreej- .; s«fenfjs ; to ,, pure-hasp.', before the expense I: i purcha's'ing"land 'or erecting dwelli ■■■">ings"is;inpurred J ..in.order that /there :.-=;■- • may be, no-risk of loss on account of ..■■-, the applicants subsequently with- ;.- drawing. ' • "The Department has given atten- ■ tion i for some. considerable time to the ■ npestion of standardising and cheapeni .. pig the cost ;of these- dwellings, and ■ 'jor this purpose has made inquiries into i'.;' -the latest methods'of building construc- '■■/ . ••-tion- .with(:particular reference to the i : ->erection in concrete; this material.is !' considered-by the Department to be ',-.':■;. more ; satisfactory.in overy way in that ;, tit is cheaper in the long run, notwitli- ■ '"standing tho .extra initial cost, • and :,:.provides a much '• more substantial ~■'•• dwelling.■ .Several concrete workers' r. ~. dwellings ..may, bo seen at the 'Depart--1 _. -nientls settlement at Petone, where on ;. ; . .account of the concrete materials :" ,-.^ em K readily ( obtained the erection ;: ■ ■ cost ■ only about £25 nioro than for \ ; wood, and the saving in fire insurance alone paidfor the extra weekly instal- •;.'. ■, ment■ (besides the saving in mainten- ; unco and depreciation). Another ad- ! vantage in a concrete dwelling is that [•-. on account of the longer 'life,' ' the f; 'Act permits.pf a longer period for pay-' j • ment of" principal-than, for wo»aen ~. houses . viz., 36iVears at 6 per cent., ' }?,. dof 2 ?i y ea ™ a * 7 Per cent. ?.-. 1 his effects a reduction of the weekly i . on, say, £650, of 2s. 6d per ' -.vtfeeK;. a.considerable item in tho workf "'Prs. •rent' bill, although it should be /remembered that,: as the abovo indi- ■'•■■ -'? at -ed,_it takes eleven .years .longer'to ;.-...'■■' pay.off the principal; yet- against this '.the concrete house has a better value ;. ... »t the end of the thirty-she arid a half year period than the wooden one in .twenty-five and a half years/ :. _ v The work under : tho Workers' ■j;wellings Act was, of course, in its ex- ■ perimental • stage (for the '.. first few ,- • years, but that stage has now passed- : .it may-bo regarded as a financial suc-;:.;.-cess-tne crucial test-and the Departmental machinery is in working order :'" ready to build any number of 'dwell-' ; : ings as may be required." . 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