Army Houses to Be Built at Burnham

Grey River Argus, 2 April 1948, Page 4

Army Houses to Be Built at Burnham

CHRISTCHURCH, April 1

The scheme to build houses at Burnham for married Army personnel would be extended as far as the supply of materials would allow, said the Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones) after inspecting the houses which had been completed, and those under construction, yesterday morning. Mr Jones was accompanied on his inspection by Brigadier E. T. Rowlings, who retired yesterday from the position of Officer Commanding the Southern Military District, the QuartermasterGeneral (Brigadier F. L. Hunt), Brigadier C. E. Weir, who has succeeded Brigadier Rowlings, and the Camp Commandant (Major R. J. Eyre), who also retired yesterday.

At G block Mr Jones inspected two two-unit houses which have been occupied. At Z block, he saw two twounit houses and two detached houses, all of which have been occupied, two houses nearing completion, and eight others in various stages of construction. All the work has been done by the Army Troon Company from materials from demolished Army buildings. The company was congratulated by Mr Jones on the work it had done. All the occupants he had seen had been very pleased with their homes, he said. ” The construction of the houses would release other houses in Christchurch, and it would also decrease the number of persons waiting for State houses. Married men who had previously had to live off camp were able to bring their families to the camo to live. “Now that Government approval has been given for the use of the former convalescent block at Burnham Camp as a housing block for pensioners. I presume that the next step will come from the Health Department or the Housing Construction Department”, said Mr Jones, after he had examined the block at Burnham. The block, he said,’ seemed ideal for conversion into pensioners’ homes.