THE HOUSING PROBLEM

Otaki Mail, 16 July 1923, Page 3

THE HOUSING PROBLEM

The problem of finding the population with latequate housing accommodation r> it not purely a New Zealand one, but ) world wide. It is an economic and noi a politieal problem, still the politieans are determined to attempt a solution. During the war building operations almost everywhere practically ceased. The Jit men were drafted into the fighting forces, and what urgent work had to bo done was done by the older aien. The war caused an inordinate demand far timber, and this caused prices to advance. Then again cement was needed at the front in increasing quantities and prices advanced. For practically live years, if not longer, building of dwelling houses was held up owing to a variety of causes arising out of the war. In the meanwhile there was th« usual destruction of houses through fires and conflagrations, though, perhaps, uot to the lame extent as in pre-war times. Then again numbers of marriages took place, many of the soldiers marrying before leaving for the front, and on j their return they naturally desired to have homes of their own, and there were no homes for them. There iv;i> thus an extreme shortage of houses in all parts of New Zealand. About two years ago ntany of the local bodies j .endeavoured to provide homes, among | the number being the Wellington City j Council. This local authority built j about a dozen houses in. the neighbourhood of Northland, one of the suburbs of the city, and it is hardly likely that the. Wellington City Council would seek.to repeat the experiment. It had to*pay dearly for all the materials I required, and the labor costs were j ridiculously high, so much so that the j lowest price at which it could sell one j of its four roomed cottages was \ £1750. The labor costs were high. J because long deferred commercial 1 buildixgs wore started and there was J necessarily keen competition for the J limited labor available. Carpenters | were able to command very high wages and gave in return the minimum of labor. The competition for carpenters and others engaged in the building trade was keen, and the carpenters were quite independent nnd frequently arrogaa*. The slightest criticism on the part ot the employer and the man gathered up hi* tu«le and departed with his cheque, knowing quite well that he had merely to walk into the next street where another building was in course of erection, and the builder would fall on his neck and implone him to accept work again at a fancy wage. AV» are dettiaed to have a repetition of all this because the Government is about to make an effort through the Adrances Department to solve the problem. The Advances Department, under th» proposed legislation, is to' lend to workers up to about 00 per ; cent, of the value, and is to increase 1 the amount of the loans. Of course, j the rate of interest is to be very moder- ' ate, just a shade higher than the rate j paid by the Government itself. The | terms are to be extremely attractive, | and it will surprise everyone if there | is not a wholesome demand for advan- ; ces. Money will flow out of the Ad- I vances department to all and sundry,'! many of whom will desiro to build and I; others again will bo .wanting to pur-1 chase ready-built homes, and these con- i ; tiitions will nwult in an aftermath of : trouble. The labour available in New Zealand is limited, and if there is any ; g-reat rush to erect building wages will ascend rapidly and the workers will not '. give a fair ':*turu ia labour, because from their point of view the conditions ivould be so satisfactory that they would endeavour to prolong them by curtailing the amount of labour they j e-aeh give, that is to say they will draw eiyht hours' wages for six h/jUK or 1»" B • ' labour. Tii*t Vud">-'- ""! t _- »!■- * ri ~jued during the last J building boom and will happen again. Then timber will rise in price because of the increased demand, and so will which is alfflfty too high and t!;,e monopoly of two concerns in New Zealand which are thriving. If the borrowers from the Advances Department yrefer buying existing houses then there will bo a boom in house property, and property agents will again spring up like mushrooms. What safeguards are to be applied is not disclosed, but unless there arc- sonic stringent conditions that will prevent labour costs advancing and property booming we will have a repetition of the soldier settlement liasco. Properties were purchased when values were tit their peak and a great many inexperienced men duinpsd on the land and loaded up with loans. Even experienced soldier settlers went un*er. The solution of the bousing problem may look wry simple to • Wi* politician who desires to figure as an optimist and a courageous man, but I in the long run it is going to prove very j costly, and very ruinous to many people. J If the Government would allow cement, 1 timber and other building materials j and builders' sundries to be imported ! "'>'■ "if privata eat&rpaise would be quite equal to providing more houses, but as j things aixuul a.t present building home: j f*i jjeopl* 4?**'' not s a^- —CI* 2 26, 6 ** 6,