LAND FOR HOUSING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 68, 7 April 1937, Page 13

LAND FOR HOUSING

Napier Prices Objected To By Minister BOARD'S REPLY The delay in getting Napier 's housing. ischeme under way has, according to Mr 'J. A. Lee, Under-Secretary in chaTge of the Housing Department, been caused ■by the high value placed on the land required. Mr Lee declared that there are thousands of acres of land at the very back door of Napier, suitable for the purjpose of the housing scheme but, he |q,dds: "The price asked is nothing short of scandalous. The vendors are asking more for sections completely in the rough than land which we are purchasing elsewhere, comparable with sections •in other towns of a type identical with Napier, though the latter are already provided with sewerage service, roadec , lighted, and enjoying other facilities. Land is being acquired, for instance, at Hastings at a lower figure than is being asked for the Napier area by the Napier Harbour Board. "When this obstacle is cleared away, the people of Napier will have their 'houses very rapidly, ' ' concluded Mr Lee. The above telegram was submitted to the secretary of the Napier Harbour Board, Mr V. E. Sanders, who replies: — "The proposed sale of land to the ■Housing Department is purely an ordin- J !ary transaction of sale and purchase. )The department is in the market for i lland suitable for its purposcs and has approaohed the board with the object 'of acquiring a large area of the Marewa 'Block. The board has had the area iproperly valued in the normal way and ;has stated its price aceordingly. It is .not unusual for the seller's figure to be iridiculed. A seller's price is invariably jexpected to be high and the buyer's ( correspondingly low. In this case, how- . ever, the board is not asking any fancy ( ifigure, but only the amount of the ( ;valuation, which is considerably below the average value of areas already 1 leased in this block. Obviously the board does not anticipate having to ae- J ,oept. a depressed price for an asset which has a definite value and forms an •important part of its future revenueearning capacity. "It is necessary to add,7' says Mr i jSanders, "that Mr J. A. Lee when he j jmade overtures .to me on this subject 1 (indicated that failing settlement by , jnegotiation he would acquire the land ■ lunder the Public "Works Act and the ( board does not expect to receive less for j |the land under this process. The area ( loffered comprises 215 sections of the . valuable Marewa Block and the price . iworks ont at an average value of about. | j£88 per section, unserviced, equivalent | to approximately £119 per section, serviced in a similar way to .that part of the Marewa Block already leased. ; "The board,77 he concluded, "is perf ectly willing to have the matter settled under the provisions of the Public Works Act and will do everything possible to facilitate a settlement by this process, if the Housing Department considers the price asked is too high. Finally, there can be no question of delay by the board — all the necessary powers are in the hands of the Minister and the board has ho optipn in the matter."