HOUSING PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 56, 30 November 1921, Page 9

HOUSING PROBLEM

PROVINCIAL TOWN SCHEME SUCCESSFUL VENTURE IN HAWKE’S BAY (From a Correspondent.) Central Hawke’s Bay’s chief centre, Waipukurau, like all progressive towns in the Dominion, has experienced the prevailing house shortage so common in these days. Faced by the fact that private enterprise was not sufficient to meet tho demand, the Waipukurau Borough Council attacked tho problem in a businesslike ■ manner. In January of this year the council 'bcVrowed IXIO,OOO from the Advances Department, the rate of interest being pci - cent, plus 1 per cent, sinking fund, and tpe period of the loan was for 3GJ years. On securing the loan tho council invited applications from those desiring to secure houses- of their own. Briefly, the conditions laid down by the council were as follow:— (1) The successful applicants must within one month of the council agreeing to loan them money hand over to the council the freehold deeds of the section on which house was to be erected, the title to be in the name of tho council. (2) Applicants were allowed to submit their own specifications, choose their own builder, but same had to be passed by a special committee appointed by the council. / (3) The limit allowed each applicant was .£BOO, (4) The income of the applicant must not exceed X 350 per annum. (5) The rate of repayment was 5 per cent, interest and 2 per cent/ sinking fund. Purchasers of these houses purchased the same on an agreement of sale and purchase, so that the legal expenses were but small. Immediately that the scheme was analysed it was seen that the terms were excellent and the money available was eagerly sought. In most eases .£BOO was advanced to the applicants, and for this many of the borrowers erected up-to-date houses (five-roomed), with every convenience. Altogether thirteen houses were erected with the X'lo,ooo, and of these twelve are already occupied, with the last one well on the way to completion. Tho purchasers from the council repays in monthly instalments, interest and principal on the .£BOO loan, works out at a repayment of Jit 13s. 4d. per calendar month, whic his really only a rent. Taking the average household as four, the council has provided accommodation for fifty persons, and in addition has made it possible for many to purchase homes, who otherwise could not have done so. - The houses, are situated in all parts of the town, and! as each purchaser has been allowed to submit his own plans, etc., they cannot in any way be distinguished from the other houses as there is absolutely nothing of the (stereotyped pattern of workers’ dwellings about any of them. So successful has the scheme lieen that four other local bodies in Hawke’s Bay are adopting the Waipukurau scheme, whilst full particulars are being sought from boroughs in the North of Auckland on te one hand and from Canterbury on the other hand. The cry has been raised that the Government were not in earnest in its efforts to relievo tho housing problem, but so far as Waipukurau is concerned every facility has been given by the various Departments to help the matter on. 7 Any borough desiring to tackle tho housing problem could not do better than Investigate the scheme undertaken and so successfully carried out by the progressive Central Hawke’s Bay centre, Waipukurau.