CONTRAST IN RENTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 158, 22 July 1937, Page 5

CONTRAST IN RENTS

Our Own Correspondent.)

Britain and New Zealand CHEAPER HOUSES NEEDED

(From

AUCKLAND, Last Night. An indication of the contrast in rents for State houses in New Zealand and Britain was given in an address by Prcfessor C. R. Knight, of the School cf Architecture, in the TJniversity College hall last evening. Throwing on the screen a brief summaly of several hoiising schemes for v/orkers in London, the speaker showed Ihat the rents ranged from about 7/6 to 17/--. l'n a typical case the actual iigures were from -7/7 to 6/4 on an esksrto whore the total number of dwelUngs, upon completion of the scheme, wovld be 2380. Brofessor Knight said there were three types of houses — those of the weallhy, the iniddle class and the lower-paid workers. The first class could take care of themselves; the middle class were largely catered for in Ihigland by lending societies and the i'riendly societies, wkicli last year provided over £120,000,000 in loans for Uousing; and the working classes were the responsibility of the State. There were the sanie three divisiona in New Zealand, stated the professor. In- the iniddle group, he said, there waji a deflnite shortage of houses, and the Government was endeavouring to relieve th9 position; but so far the bottom group had not received much consideration. lteferriug to the large mcrease in the use of flats in London, Professor Knight saxd they were the only economic solution of the housing problem in the heart of the city. He said that iifty families could be accommodated on an acre in flats, as against only iive or ten in cottages, and with the new methods of design there was no suggestion of Crovvding, "The flals are a thousand times better than the conditions which existed previousiy and they represent a great ujJward nuovoment," he added.