STATE HOUSES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 159, 23 July 1937, Page 7

STATE HOUSES

-PresS Association.)

Government Selects Tenants for Auckland "RENTS ARE T00 HIGH"

(By Teiograph-

AUCKLAND, Last Night. As the work on State houses progresses, the Government has its officers bnsiljj engaged in the work of pieking tenants fi'om the many hundreds of applicants, and already those interviewed in Auckland outnumber by two to oue, the total of the houses to be coinpleted within the nest few months. Altogether 1600 applications have been xeceived so far at the Auckland office of the State Housing Department, the applicants being entirely city of suburban residents, and it is likely that the total will be consider"ably increased. As the early houses approach completion, it is the business of the department's officers to report upon the cases submitted, according to the desirability of the applicants and in order of urgency. Probably the final selection will be made by ballot. Already the task of interviewing the prospective tenants ■and inspecting theii preseut homes has been in prOgress for some weeks. AlthoUgh only about 700 out of the total numbef have been dealt With, it is expected that the work will be" finalised befofe the first houses are available for occupation about the end of Septemer or the 'heginning of October, It is fully Tealised that the Department i's in the position of being able to take its pick from the* large number of tenants offering, and, of coursp, the feeling is growing that only the high-er-paid workefs, or people on fairly comfortable salaries, will have much chance when the final lists are submitted to the ballot. Among the lowor-paid, the hope of sharing in the early benefits of the State 's venture into housing has been slender since an announcement of the rents was made, and as a city land agent said to-day, tho majority of the workers are in the position of ' 'f orgotten men." At the present time, so far as the Government 's housing scheme goes, the rents of from 25/- to 32/6 are regarded "as, at least, 50 per cent. too high for the ordinary worker, and added to this is the cost of travel which, it is stat'ed, is likely to be considerable for dweilers at Orakei, and of State properties at Ellerslie, Bucklands Eoad, Epsom, and Otahuhu, which are mere distant from the city.