COTTAGES FOR FARM WORKERS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 72, 17 December 1937, Page 5

COTTAGES FOR FARM WORKERS

-Press Assooiation.)

Standard Plans Being Drafted by Government EASY PURCHASE TERMS

(Bv Telearaph-

CHEISTCHUECH, Last Night. Standard plans are being drafted for the building of eottages to provide accommodation for farm labourers. . The Hon. H. T. Armstrong, Minister of Labour, said to-day that the Government hopes that the erection of these eottages, which will cost only a modest sum and which will be available for purchase by farmers at the easiest terms possible, will do much to relieve the shortage of farm labour, one of the greatest causes of which has been laek of suitable accommodation. Mr Armstrong said that the construction of the eottages would be carried out along with the State housing schemes. It would be unreasonable to expect farmers to pay large sums to build houses on their properties for their employees, Mr Armstrong continued, but he hoped that the proposed eottages would be inexpensive enough to attract farmers. Payments could be made by instalments on easy terms and the settlement in the eottages of young maTried couples who could be encouraged to establish their own gardens and consider the eottages as their homes would practically eliminate the labour troubles of farmers. Mr Armstrong thought that employees would have a personal interest in farms on which they were working and that they would be glad to stay there. A fairly early announcement giving fuller details of the scheme eould be expected from Mr J. A. Lee, Parliamentary Under-Secretary in Charge of Housing, added Mr Armstrong.