WORKERS’ DWELLINGS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1539, 22 August 1905, Page 2

WORKERS’ DWELLINGS.

AN IMPORTANT DEMOCRATIC MEASURE.

to Times.) (Official Message.) Wellington, yesterday. !The Workers' Dwelling Bill is to make better provision for the erection of workers' dwellings. After the definition clauses (■' worker," meaning “ any adult person employed for hire or reward in manual or other work ") the measure is as follows : 3.—(!) The Governor may from timo to time, by order in Council gazetted, set apart for the purpose of this Act any Crown land or any land acquired under “ The Land for Settlements Consolidation Aot, 1900 "; paragraphs 1 and 2of section 18 of “ The Land for Settlements Conßoli. dation Act, 1900," are hereby repealed. 4.—(1) On any land so set apart the Minister may cause to be erected buildings suitable for workers’ dwellings, or may convert any buildings into workers' dwellings, and may from time to timo alter, enlarge, repair and improve suoh dwellings, provided that the cost of erec* tion or construction shall not in the case of any workers’ dwellings exceed 11300. All oosts incurred under this section shall be defrayed out of moneys appropriated by Parliament for that purpose, in case of ordinary Crown lands, and out of moneys to the credit of the Land for Settlements Acconnt in the case of lands acquired under “ The Land for Settlements Consolidation Aot, 1900."

5. Subject to the provisions of this Aot every worker’s dwelling shall be disposed of by the Land Board by way of lease for a period of 60 yeare, with the right of renewal as hereinafter appears. 6. Every application for a worker's dwelling shall be in suoh form and shall contain Buoh particulars as are prescribed by the regulations, including in every case a statement that he desires or does not desire, to aoquire the freehold of his worker's dwelling, and if he does so desire a further statement of the mode in whioh he desires to exercise such right. 7. Each applicant shall satisfy the Land Board that he is (a) a worker as herein defined, and (b) landless (meaning thereby that at the date of his applicati. a ho is not either by himsolf or jointly with any othor porsou, tba owner in fee simple or the tenant or ow_ CUDier under. *

any land In Now Zsaland, esoeading one J ‘ « in tho oaao of urban or anhnrhan land, or eroding fifty aoros in area of a vllueof haQdtod P onnda in - a 01 *0 every lease under '"A,,. Aot She following provisions shall , j , r a \ That payments under the lease shall be payable monthly in advanoo, and shall be at the rate of five per centum nor annum, on the oapital value of a ■ workor’s dwelling, being four per oentum I lot rent and 1 P°r oent. foe dopreoiation, 1 In addition to the cost of insuring the dwelling from fire at its full insurable value, providod that. whore the lesseo desires toacquire the freehold, and so states in his application rent shall be at Buoh rate as is hereinafter mentioned; (b) such \ capital half shall bo fixed by the Minister and shall oovor the oapital value of the land, the cost (if any) of its acquisition, the oost of survey, roading, sub division, and other works and operations done on tbo land (including the oost of erection of the dwelling), the proper proportion of the value of so muoh of the land as Is absorbed by roads or streets and the estimated ooßt of administration ; (o) the lease shall ooutdln a provision that lessee may at any time before expiration oi the term have i : a new lease for a further term of 60 years containing the same ooveDants and provision, at a rent to be fixed by valuation made by three independent persons, one to be appointed by the Minister, one by the lessee, and the third by the' two persons so appointed; (d) the lease shall also contain the smn, power, conditions, and covenant as subject to the regulations the Minister thinks fit to prescribe, inoludiog in every oase a covenant to reside In the workor’s dwelling, and also a covenant to maintain and keep all buildings and orootions in good order and condition ~ to the satisfaction of the Land Board

9.—(1) Every lessee of a worker's dwelling may acquire the freehold in fee simple of his dwelling, in sneh one of the following modes bb he specified in his application Mode A: By payment in oash of the oapital value thereof at any time not less than 25 years from the date of his lease in purchase—paymonts under the lease shall be at the rate of 6 per cent per annum on the oapital value of the workers’ dwellings (being 5 per oent for rent and 1 per cent for depreciation), in addition to the oost of insuring,the dwelling from fire at its full Insurable value.; Mode B: By payment of the oapital value by monthly payments extending (at the option of the lessee) over a period of 82 years or 41 years, in whioh ease the payment shall be at the rate of 7 per cent per annum on the capital valne (being 8 per cent for rent and 1 per oent for depreoietion), in addition to the.cost of insurance as aforesaid. Or mode 0: By an insurance on his life as provided by seolion 10 hereof. (2) The mode of payment under mode B shall be in addition to the* rent reserved by the lessee, and I shall be payable as rent. (8) The amount I of such monthly payments shall be compiled as follows: (a) If the period is 82 years, then at the. rate of 2 percent per anham on the oapital value of tbe worker’s dwelling fixed as aforesaid; (b) if 41 years, then at the rate of 1| per oeot per annum. 10—If the lessee desires to have mode O the following provisione shall apply: (a) He shall insure bis life with the Govern- I meni Insurance Company for the amount I of the oapital value of the worker’s dwelling ; (b) such iuHuranoe shall be for any term prescribed for inode A or B at the end of whioh he desires to aoqnir6 the freehold, and shall be at such yearly preminm as may be prescribed by the Government Insurance Commissioner, so as to produoe at the expiry of such term of his death .be-, fore such expiry the amount issued; (o) the premium so prescribed Bball be regalatly paid by the lessee, and the insurance polioy shall be deposited with the Land I Board; (d) on the maturing of the polioy the polioy moneys shall be paid to the Beard.

11.—" Whenever the full amount of the capital value ae aforesaid is paid the lease shall (if the rent and other payments if any dae under the lease, have been paid and the Land Board is satisfied that the conditions and cottages contained in the lease hive bSen duly observed and performed) determine, and the lessee shall be enabled to receive from the Distriot Land Registrar a certificate of title (in the form Siresoribed by regulations under the Aot) or his worker's dwellings. 12.—The owner for the time being of a worker’s dwelling shall reside therein, and if he fails so to do, the Minister may direst that the certificate of his title shall be cancelled, and the Distriot Land Registrar on reoeipt of such direotlons shall cancel such certificate accordingly, and the worker’s dwelling shall therein revert to the Grown. 12.—(1) No disposition of the lease or freehold of any worker’s dwelling shall be valid except with the oonsent of the Land Board; (2) the Land Board, in giving or Withholding snob oonsent, shall be guided by the purpose and intention of this Act, to provide and protect homes for workers and their families; (3) for the purposes of this seotion “ disposition ” inoludes sale, assignment, lease, sub-mortgage, or will. _ 14._(1) The local authorities within Whose jurisdiction any workers’ dwellings are situate may at any time, by special order, declare its willingness to undertake the management and control of such workers’ dwellings, and thereupon the Minister may, if he thinks fit, by Dotice in the Gazette, vest such management and control in the local authorities, subject to the provisions of this Aot; (2) the Minister may at any time thereafter (if satisfied that the local authorities have not properly managed such workers’ dwellings) revoke each notioe, and on the gazetting of such revocation the management and control of the workers’ dwellings shall re-vest in the Land Board. ■ 16.—0 n the gazetting of any notioe under the last preceding seotion vesting the management and control of any workers' dwellings In a local authority, the oapital share of each dwellings fixed as aforesaid, or so ' much thereof as then remains unpaid by the lessees, Bhall be deemed to have been advanced to the local authorities by the Colonial Treasurer under the Local Bodies Loans Act, 1901, and the provisions of that Aot shall, mutates mutandis, extend and apply accordAll moneys reoeived under this Act shall be paid into the public account, and shall in the oonrse of ordinary Crown lands form part of the Consolidated Pond, and in the case of land acquired under he Land for Settlement Aot, 1900, be credited to the Land for Settlements Accounts. 17 —The Governor may from time to time! by Order-in Council, make each regulations, not inconsistent with this Aot, 03 may ha necessary to the effectual oarrySn<y oufi of this Act. , . * 18.—The Minister ehall within 20 dayß after the commencement of each session lav beforo Parliament a statement for the Drecoding finanoial year, showing (a) the moneys expended during the preceding finanoial year in acquiring land under this Act and preparing the same for workers dwellings and in the erection of suoh dwellings, and (b) the number of dwellings erected, the total number of dwellings leased, and the number of dwellings leased under seotion 9 hereof. 19.— Seotion 60 of the Land for Settlemeat Aot, 1900, is hereby repealed.