The Evening Star THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1936. A TREMENDOUS TASK.

Evening Star, Issue 22440, 10 September 1936, Page 8

The Evening Star THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1936. A TREMENDOUS TASK.

Mr J. A. Lee, newly-appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Finance, has been put in charge of the Government’s housing scheme. In the House of Representatives last' night Mr Nash made an announcement in connection with the matter, and released a preliminary report by Mr Lee outlining features of the scheme. He very rightly says the Ministry of Housing is undertaking a tremendous task. It is well that the Government realises the magnitude of the proposal. Evidently it does not intend to rush matters unduly. One of the things of first importance before plans are put in hand is to make a careful survey of the whole position and to discover the real needs of the people in the matter of housing. In principle the Government’s ideas are to be commended. There is a call for more adequate housing arrangements. Naturally, the taxpayer is curious to know something about the financial arrangements. In this connection the Finance Minister says that during the next twelve months £3,500,000 will be made available to the Ministry of Housing for the construction of homes for the State and for loans to local authorities for the same purpose. Arrangements, which have yet to he announced in detail, will be made with the Reserve Bank for the pr-.-ision of funds. The emphasis that is put on this declaration at the moment is probably meant as an assurance to the Labour supporters in the Manukau electorate, where a by-election is pending. It is expected that Ministers will get the money from the Reserve Bank at a low rate of interest by an equivalent of the practice of the issue of Treasury bills, but for a longer term than those are accustomed to cover.

There is nothing necessarily unorthodox about this procedure, as it has been an accepted function of reserve banks in other countries to provide cheap money for Governments. But the big expenditure entailed will require to be recovered, as far as possible, from those who got the houses. The difficulties of this aspect of the matter are revealed in the experience of the Christchurch City Council, which, according to the report of its Finance Committee, advanced loans for tko erection of 14(5 houses with disastrous, financial results, as the majority of the occupiers were very much in arrears with their payments. Looking at the problem as a whole, it must be admitted that there is a real need for a comprehensive housing scheme. Private enterprise has I'H so many set-backs in recent years that there is a decided reluctance on the part of individuals to invest their money in house property. During the depression landlords in many cases had great difficulty in collecting their rents, and the sever rent restriction

regulations still in operation have been another deterrent. The position is thus very discouraging, air 1 the possession of house property for letting is no longer an attractive proposition. So, willy-nilly, it looks as if the Government must make up the deficiency. Points to which special attention needs to be directed are efficiency in planning and design in construction and strict supervision after occupation, which will no doubt mean additions to the formidable army of inspectors in the service of the State.

Large-scale Auction, the help of existing building organisations, financial aid to local bodies, the adoption of up-to-date town planning principles, and the use of locally-produced materials and -manufactures are featured in Mr Lee’s report. All these things are to be commended. It is further declared that the aim of the Ministry is the provision of high-grade, reasonably-priced residences. This is a matter that has occasioned much discussion in other countries. The ideal, of course, is for each individual to have his own house and section of ground. That may he feasible, say. in Christchurch, where there are level spaces available, but in Wellington. and Dunedin there is little suitable building land to he obtained even in the outer suburbs, uierefore, presumably the Government’s policy will have to be devised to cuit local conditions, and in some cases large blocks of flats on modern lines will have to be built. It is regrettable that the provision of housing for the people is to he divorced from private enter; .ise to so great an extent. The most that can be hoped for is that hand in hand with economy and efficiency in construction the principles of modern town planning will be adopted and the dull uniformity so often seen in the past he avoided.