HOUSING PROBLEM
1 . THE "BIG FOUR" SCHEME
GOVERNMENT INQUIRING
MINISTER MENTIONS DIFFICULTIES
The housing question was discussed again in tho House of Representatives yesterday. Several petitions asking the Government to pursue a vigorous housing policy hud been presented to the Hou6o and referred to a committee. This committee reported that it had no recom- | mendntion to make, since tho matter was one of policy, but its chairman (Mr. J. , M. Dickstn) indicated briefly that Uio committeo considered a concentration of effort and material on the erection of homes to be desirable. Mr, P. Eraser (Wellington Central) asked if the offer of certain largo builders in Wellington and tho Buildings Trades' Federation to undertako tho erection of 500 houses in this city had yet been accepted. Several other memliors had somethig.to say about the urgency of tho housing problem. The Minister of Labour (Sir William Herries) said that the scheme suggested to the Government by Wellington builders—the "big four"—had been merely tentative. Tho details had r.ot yet been worked out. The scheme had gone before Cabinet, and hod been referred to 1 tho Treasury for information as to whether the Government could reasonably 1 undertake to find an additional .£500,000 this year. Tho Co3t of each lions© would be from <£SOO to £1000, and the crec tion of 500 homes under this special scheme would involve an expenditure of about half a million over and above tho undertakings of the Government in other directions. He understood that 500 homes was about the smallest number that tho firms would care to undertake in Wellington, and then something on similar lines would have to be done for other • centres. The question of overburdening the Treasury hadHo bo weighed; money had to be found for other works that were just as necessary us housing. The expenditure of public money on some, ofthose works would relieve tho housing situation to some extent _by drawing workers away from tho cities. Another fact to be considered, added tho Minister, was tho existence of a gr°at deal of opposition to the scheme. The Government had to consider the opposition and discover whether the scheme was really wanted by tho builders and the workers. He had been interviewed that morning, by representatives of the timber merchants, who had told him that there was a considerable amount of private building now proceeding, especially in the South Island. Private people wero building houses, and many of those new house? were suitable for workers. There was difticiiltr about the supply of materials, and the timber merchants wero very much opposed to the concentration of material in Wellington on the particular scheme under consideration. Mr Fraser: That was never proposed. ■ Sir' William Herries said tlio scheme had the advantage of promising to provide a lot of houses quickly. But tho 'Government would require to be.assured '' that speed in construction really would bo attained. Could Mr. Tracer undertake that the workers would stick to tho job until it was finished? If there was a guarantee on this point the scheme would be worth while, oven if Hie provision of tho money was difflcn t. Mr. Fraser: The Building Trades l'ederation would guarantee that. Sir AVilliim "-,.,"»■■. "W" luive bonnl of guarantees that did not come to anything." The M ! i'ist..r "'t'd : '' w.«» •••■gr '- table that so few tenders had been received for the erection of homes under the housing scheme. Mr. Fraser said that the Wellington contractors had offered to stop their present works, which represented an expenditure of over a million. This would release much building materia!. Sir William Herries replied that he realised the advantages of the scheme from the housing point of view. But .the people whoso buildings were to bo stopped might have a claim to consideration. The Government must rot do an gone before Cabinet, which was ascertaining if the amount of money required could be provided within the limited period proposed.
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 285, 26 August 1920, Page 6
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652HOUSING PROBLEM Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 285, 26 August 1920, Page 6
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