SOME SWEEPING PROPOSALS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 287, 30 August 1919, Page 8

SOME SWEEPING PROPOSALS

STATE FINANCE NEEDED RECOMMENDATIONS TO PARLIAment. The Parliamentary Committee whict inquired into the- industries ot the JJO' million refers to the Housing probiepi hi '°Tiio Unprecedented shortage of suitable houses throughout the Dominion is « pressing difficulty in town and countrj alike. , The'evidence given; before the committee proves* that tlie evil is greatoi and more serious than is generally supposed, and that it is likeiy to become more acute in the near future. iiie reasons for urgency 111 proceeding witl. a comprehensive building scheme are (a) Stoppage of building during the V m) A laudable determination on the part of our people to have better homes. . „ , (c) Urgent necessity for abolition of slums in the interests of public advisability of increasing the rural population by providing comfortable workers' homes in country districts. (e) Ilapid return of soldiers, many of whom Imve. recently married or deiire to marry. , (f) Necessity for allaying unrest by • providing a sufficient 'number of reasonably good homes at a modciaie cost of rental; thi« applies especially to miners, railway men, waterside workers, city labourers, and.ar--1 (k) IS |" > robability of immigration into New Zealand. , Although a modicum of eftort lias beer made by the State to give facilities t< people of moderate means to puichast homes of their own, the quantity o. work actually done has not been sufii cient to materially improve the position For some time to come the industrial lift of New Zealand will be unsettled, anc while the .committee does not antici pate any shortage of, employment, ji considerable number of wage-earners will as heretofore, find it necessary to move from place to place following up iher usuiil avocation. Hence, in considering £ practical housing scheme for all oui people, it will bo necessary to make pro vision for good sanitary houses for letting, in addition to giving the besl possible opportunities to^ people desiring to make their houses 'their own. ' . Hitherto the supply of houses haf been left almost entirely to private enter prise, but we have reached a stage al which v the housing problem is much to< acute to bo longer left entirely to thai uncertain source of .supply. Construction, Tho almost universal practice of building in wood—which in many cases con sisls of a lairge proportion of inferioi timber-should be improved upon as fai as practicable. Tho life of a wooder building is estimated at forty years which means the complete rebuilding oi iill such houses every , forty years. Encouragement should therefore bo giver to build in brick, concrete, or othei djirable material. Tlio committeo therefore recommend! that a comprehensive scheme of housinf construction bo undertaken on the fol Wing lines:— Brick, concrete, or other durable mate rial to bo used wherever possible, ex iept in cases where it is probable thai Hie sites will be required for other pur poses within a period of thirty-five 01 forty years,- or in industries suoh a< coal mines that may bo worked oul within a*' limited time. Consideration! of economy should not be permitted tc bring the dwellings below a reasonable minimuiti standard of accommodation attractiveness of design, sanitation, anc convenience. ' National Housing Department, The committeo recommends that a national housing department be set -up, tc be under the control of a Minister oi the CiWn and administered by a commissioner, and two associate commissioners who should be men of businest experience with a knowledge of the building trade. Power should be given tc acquire land and - buildings co-iupul-sorily, to purchase" land, make roads, acquire una carry oil sawmills and joinory works; to purchase and import sup plies, purchase plant, manufacture articles required for the dwellings, etc.'; in short, the commissioners should have wide powers to pudi 011 vigorously and ir a businesslike way the work of providing tho much-needed houses. This woulc involve vesting in the housing department under the commissioners the powers at present exercised by the workers' dwellings branch of the. La-bom Department. The necessity gresslve housing scheme on nationai lines is so pronounced and calls for subl: vigorous execution that the machines') of any existing department coulcl nol reasonably be expected to cope with it Ways and Means. Ample funds must be provided. The committee, recommends that an amounl up to ,£2,000,000 be made available, te be drawn 011 by the commissioners a.' required, and to be supplied to them a! ■1 per cent, interest, tlio difference be tween this 'rate and the' rate wftich the Government pays for the money, to gether wSth the cost of administration 0: the department., to be borne by the State. The sum indicated will provide about three thousand additional nouses accommodating perhaps fifteen thousand people, which will to some extent remove tho .crushing disabilities at present existing. National Housing Scheme. The houses provided under the national scheme should - be available for preferenco to men having incomes below .£30(1, wilh an additional allowance of <£25 pel child over three in number. Where tho houses are let, the rental basis should be 5 per cent, plus rates. In tho eases of 'houses sold, the selling price should be lii'e actual cost plus overhead charges. Liberal terms should be given, 011 a 5 per cent, interest basis, Where possible tlio houses should bt orectcel in numbers of ten or more; sullicient land -should be provided, where possible, for a garden; and trains, railways, or other quick means of transit should bo an important factor. Local Bodies' Building Schemes. The committeo further recommends thai local bodies, including harbour boards, be empowered, in conjunction with the State, to iiiitiato and carry into effect local housing schemes. Whore building schemes iaro considered desirable or necessary within the jurisdiction of any local body, such local body shall bo

empowered to frnmo such scheme in consultation with the commissioners, and if approved by thorn the capital shall bo advanced af. -t per cent, interest. The commissioners should bo vested with power to investigate and approve, modify, alter, or reject nil building schemes submitted by local bodies. Such investigation should include t.he following points;— (a.) Whether the demand is sufficient to ensure that the houses will be permanently occupied. (b t ) Whether the land is being purchased at a fair price. (c.) Whether the site is suitable from the point of view of healthfulness of locality and reasonable proximity to employment. (d.) What material is .most suitable . and economically available in each locality. The committeo recommends the following financial provisions shall apply:— Loss of interest as between 4 per cent, and the actual cost of loans to be met by the State. Rented houses .to bo the property of the local body, who shall pay,, in addition to this i per cent, interest, a sinking fund of 1 per cent. Weekly rent to bo at tho rate of S per cent, on cost of land »nd building plus weekly ■ proportion of the annual rates. Cast of maintenance, insurance, administration, and loss by bad debts and non-letting of houses to bo borno by local body. Every occupier 'shall have the option of purchasing the property occupied bv him. Nt 110 greater price than will secure the local body against loss. A local building scheme might originate in any one of three ways— ().) By the!initiative of the local body, without a poll. (2.) By a petition of residents to the commissioners. (3.) By direction of the commissioners after public inquiry. Advances to Industrial Concerns and Farmers. For providing homes for employees the Government should lend money to approved companies,' employers, and farmers on the following conditions:— Such advances shall be made only when the building scheme lias been approved by the Commissioners. Advances to be for the purpose of providing houses for workers, with preference- to those haying incomes be- ; low ,£3OO. with tho addition of £25 for each child over three in number. The rale of interest charged shall bo 5 per cent, and the sinking fund 2 pe.- cent. The borrower shall be wholly responsible for repayment of the loan. The rent shall bo based on 5 per cent, on the cost of the building only. Tho borrower shall bear the cost of maintenance, rates, insurance, and, provide the necessary land. When tho loan is repaid the houses shall become tho sole property of the borrower, but the rent shall iiot exceed the rates previously (Stated, except by consent of the Commissioners. As the above scheme (is intended to overcome th 6 financial difficulties which in the past have often rendered the farmer helpless to improve the housing accommodation of his employees, the State must insist that a decent standard of housing should be available to all rural workers. Advances to Workers. Th 6 committee is of opinion that the legislation; governing advances to workers requires considerable widening, and recommends— (a) That the maximum amount of loan that may be advanced be raised to .£750 for the purpose of erecting a new building and to JEfiOO for the purchase of an existing building. /b) That these advances be made to workers whose incomes are not more than .£3OO per annuln, with an addition of JG2S for eacli child over thrie in number. Trafficking. The committee recommends that stringent regulations be drafted to prevent, as far as possible, proflt-'making by the 6ale of houses erected under this schemed and also to provido that in the event of any sala the purchaser must be a worker whose incomo is within the limitation set out above. Necessity for Action. In making these recommendations, involving as they do considerable capital cost to tho State, the committee has in mind the fact that mucluof the present distressing industrial unrest is due - t the shortage of houses. It feels confident that the proper housing- of our peoplu will do much to produce contentment. and consequently more settled industrial conditions, which will more than warrant the cost. As the increased cost of building under present conditions is directly attributable, to the war, the amount involved should bo regarded as part of the cost of the war. Your _ committee earnestly desires emphasiso the national necessity of this matter being promptly dealt with. The present high cost of building material, and other difficulties connected with building, are grounds not for delay, but for prompt action on the part of the Government. l