THE HOUSING QUESTION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 298, 12 September 1919, Page 8

THE HOUSING QUESTION

GOVERNMENT SHOULD PROVIDE MONET. Tho housing question received some consideration at tho hands of the conference of tho municipal associations yesterday. Mr. P. J. Norheny (Auckland City Council) said tho question was the most important one that had come before tho conference. Tho fact that large numbers of/soldiers were rehiring with wives had accentuated the housing problem. "In Auckland you eunnot get a houso to-day for love or money," said Mr. Narheny. Had it not been for the Kent Restriction Act many rents would today have been prohibitive. Either the Government or tho ,oity councils would have to take up tho matter of building houses. The "jerry builders" were tho principal builders of houses in large cities to-elay, and they woro charging very high prices because they had obtained money on mortgage to erect the houses, which wero insnrjd'at the highest rotes possible. Because of those places being mortgaged and 'heavily insured, people were gulled into buying them, thinking that they' wero obtaining fair value for their money. The Gov-1 ernment should assist local bodies financially in order that they could embark on housing schemes. The lucal bodies should not bo charged more than i\ per cent, for the monev advanced to them. Mr. J. P. Luke (Mayor of Wellington) thought tho Government should be urged to rapidly speed up their housing scheme. Mr. J. A.' Flesher (Chfistclmrch City Council) was of opinion that' the Govermuen.it should provide the capital for the building of houses by municipalities. Ho moved in that direction. ' "If tho Government will find tho money wo will spend it for them," remarked Mr. Flesher. Tho resolution was carried. With regard to workers' dwellings the conferenco resolved to urge that provision bo maelo for a council assisting a worker to purchase land on which a dwelling has already been erected.