STATE HOUSING IN HASTINGS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 84, 26 April 1937, Page 8

STATE HOUSING IN HASTINGS

Mr Baird's Substantiation of Statements LETTER SENT TO MR LEE Arising from ihe Press Assoeiation jnessage appearing in the Wellington "Evening Post concerning the discussion on State honsing at the last meeting of the Hastings Cliamber of Commerce, the president, Mr, H. W. C. Baird, who was the principal speaker in the discussion, has heen asked by Mr. John Lee, Parli&mentary Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Honsing, to provide information supporting his statements. Mr. Lee's letter read as follows: — "Dear Sir, — I notice that in this svening's, issue of the Wellington Hvening Post you are reported as having suggested that good houses ifre available for tenantg in Hastings at rentals of 17/6 to £1 per week. "We have no desire to 'create houses in excess of requirements, but we have a very long list from person s in Hastings desiring houses that are xeasonably niodern. Could you send ua a, list pf good houses available at rentals of 17/6 to £1 per week, so that we may see whether you have a supply •ufficient to obviate the necessity of the department taking action. ' ' Mr. Baird has forwarded the following reply: — "Dear Sir,— I was pleased to receive your very prompt letter of April 20 xegarding statements made by me at a Chainber of Commerce meeting. I am afraid you have not got my Teference eorrectly. I did not say that houses were available at the present time at rentals from 17/6 to £1 per week, but that houses have been let and are occupied ,in some instances by people who are Tjavinsr theso rates or less.

"I enclose a cutting from our local paper which gives the exact wording ©f my remarks. We do not take the Evening Post, but I am reliably informed that even in that paper the wording is not exaetly as- you state. However, I have a four-roomed house with hot and cold water and bath, etc., for which one year I received no rent at *11 and later for a period only 10/- per week and to-day I am receiving 15/-. I kawa another seven-roomed house with every modern eonvenience, motorihed, ejc., and which I occupied myself for a t|me and for which I am receiving 20/- per week. For a period I had other houses for which I was charging lo/r to 17/6 per week. These were not .what you would call thoroughly np-to-date although they had every eonvenience. "I have approached another landlord whom I know, owns several houses *nd has been very helpful to the unomployed during the slump years. I enclose .his letter just . as I have Teceived it as it explains his point of view. . i "Oi course one fully realises' that | the shortening of the working week is largely Tesponsiblo for the high cost of buildiug. No ono objeets to the rise in wages, but the- shortening of the worKing week appears to me to add unnecessarily to the cost of production." Ihcluded in the information impurted in the other letter enclosed by Mr. Bair'd' from a second' landlord was a list ©f seven honses in Hastings the rents for which ranged from 16/- a week to £1 2/6. Five of these houses were of iive rooms, with large shed attached, hot water installed and having concrete pathg, the rentals being 16/-, 17/-, 18/6, 18/6, 21/-. The other two houses were ©f six rooms with similar facilities and rented at 21/- and 22/6 respectively. The same landlord also rented a 10roomed house at Waipawa for £1 4/- a week. "Any list of people who ask the Government to build tbem houses within ihe borough of Hastings is not of value until it is established what houses they are now occupying, what rentals they are supposed to pay, and what Tentals they have paid " he also wrltes. "To provide them with houses only to leave others empty would be both wasteful and nnf air. ' '