HOUSE SHORTAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 124, 27 May 1937, Page 10

HOUSE SHORTAGE

THE PRIVATE BUILDER

"NEVER SHOULDERED OUT"

INACTIVE YEARS

(By Telegraph.)

(Special to the "Evening Post.")

BLENHEIM, This Day.

"Private enterprise has never been shouldered out of the housing field; it never /has been in it since the days of the war," saio. the Hon. J. .1. Lee, Parliamentary Under-Secretary in Charge of Housing,' in a statement made after his arrival on a brief visit to Blenheim today. Mr. Lee said that since 1926 some 20,000 houses had Deen built in the Dominion, and at least 15,000 had been built with State money. Far from private enterprise being shouldered out of the field, the position was, and it must be obvious to all intelligent people, that when the State stopped engaging in housing, housing ceased.1 Between 1931 and 1935 the cessation of State advances had resulted in a terrific unemployment problem among builders. Not more than 800 houses had been built in that period, and partly with State money. Fuilding had practically ceased, yet costs had never been lower; but had private enterprise seized the opportunity.

"It would be interesting today tv g°t an estimate for a four-roomed house, built with good iiaterials and with good workmanship, and to work out what would be the probable rental that would be charged by private enterprise," Mr. Lee said "I think it would be found that the State had little ",o fear by way of comparison."

He added that it was pleasing to note, according to accounts in some newspapers, that some of the opponents ot the Government and its ' housing scheme were now convinced that the rentals fixed would not interfere with any scheme of private building.