HOUSE SHORTAGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2131, 22 May 1920, Page 3

HOUSE SHORTAGE.

BUILDING RESTRICTIONS. , The authority under which the Government will act in prohibiting unessential building (as announced this week) is section 35 of,the War Legislation Act, 1917, which provides that the Governor-General may Ly regulations under the M ar Regulations Act, 1914, make such'provisions as, having regard to the exigencies of the present war or the conditions created (hereby, he thinks advisable, intyw alia, for the following purposes:—For prohibiting or restricting the use of labour or capital in or connected with any industry, undertaking, or purpose that may be deemed by the Govern-or-General to be not essential or tidy partially essential tor the public welfare.

Regulations under this authority are as follow :

“On and after the coming into force of these regulations it shall not be lawful for any local authority or for any person or body corporate to undertake or commence any development works, or to enter into any contract for auv such works during the ' continuance of these regulations without having lirst obtained, pursuant to these regulations, the consent of the finance Minister so to do.” ,

“Nothing in the-foregoing.regubi-lious shall apply to any development works the estimated total cost of which does not exceed £3,000, or to any building proposed to be erected wholly or principally for residential purposes.”

The regulations will he put into operation forthwith, hut will be applied only to new building works, and not to any building in course of construe! ion. •

The Prime Minister slated on Thursday that he was informed by the Labour Department (but there were 1,200 residences at present in course of construction in New Zealand, and this was probably equal (o a .rale of construction of 4,000 lo 5,000 houses per annum. He was also advised lltal there had never before been so much timber produced in the country as at present.