STATE HOUSING

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 9, 6 October 1943, Page 6

STATE HOUSING

Construction Begun Again In Hastings Dominion Special Service. HASTINGS, October 5. . After a lapse of 18 months, during .which period no new houses were erected, a start was made last week with the construction of more State houses in Hastings. It is understood that about 20 bouse units are concerned in the latest contracts and the majority of them will be erected ou what is familiarly known as Matthews Block, fronting Duke though the ban on the building industry effectively stopped the building ot new houses, State or private, the State Housing Department, through the Hastings Borough Council, continued with the development and subdivision of the blocks of land purchased by the department. Some 72 building sites have been laid out in the block fronting Duke Street and Greys Road, and the plans provide for the erection of 88 house units on these sections. In addition, there is to be a block of 12 garages and a fairly large play area. The borough council, under a. con tract with the department, has to provide about half a mile of roadway and two-thirds ot this work has been completed, together with pathways, kerbing and channelling. An extension of the sewer .system has been completed and it is possible now t<r connect up all the houses that may be erected in the block. The erection of power lines by the Hawkes Bay Elec-ric Rower Board is now being undertaken, and next week the laying of the water mains will be commenced. Since the State housing scheme was introduced in Hastings six years ago, Ibb units have been erected at.an estimated value of £226.950, or an average‘of about £1207 per unit. During the same period private enterprise was responsible for 2ob new houses, estimated at £-0b,207, a average of £924 each. £ torn 1931-3- till the entry of the . State Housing Department, private enterprise was responsible for the erection of an average ot on houses a year in Hastings at tin average cost of a little iinder_ £6io. The house peak period was 1930-36,-when 94 new houses were erected. With the State coming into the field there was a 'boom in the building industry, and in the 193839 year expenditure reached a peak ot more than £160,000 for houses. To date the Government has purchased about o 7 acres in the borough for’its housing programme, and of this area about oO acres have been subdivided and built upon. The areas ready for building upon range from-half an acre to nine acres and at least four new streets and the extension of another street have been formed.