LOCAL BODIES AND HOUSING PROBLEM.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 538, 8 June 1920, Page 4

LOCAL BODIES AND HOUSING PROBLEM.

The solicitors for the oounty of Waipa endorse the opinion held by the superintendent of the housingscheme that any portion of a loan pflised by a local body for the provision of workers' dwellings cannot be utilised for the purchase of land. This is «ertainly a peculiar position, asd one calculated to defeat the end few which the Act was enacted. The county solictors express the view that the wffding of the'measure does not onvey the intention of Parliament, but, of course, he Act must be interpreted as it stands, and if ihe legislators have failed to express themselves plainly the responsibility rests with them. No doubt when Parliament meets the necessary amendment will be made, and those local bodies which have already raised loans for the purpose of housing their employees will be enabled to proceed with their schemes. Much local body work is being held in abeyance because of the housing difficulty. Surfacemen cannot be obtained in many distric/tf owing to inability to obtain quarters, and how that the money can be secured for the purpose of actually erecting buildings for them, if the local authority does not own. suitable allotments in the area desired, or is unable to finance the purchase outside the loan, way are confronted with an insuperable obstacle. Another aspect was mentioned at th'e Waipa County meeting recently which requires looking into. A councillor stated that he had been legally advised that'if the council erected a house for one of its woukmen, should that workman leave the council's employ he. could not be dispossessed of the house so long as he paid the stipulated rent. This does not seem reasonable and the Act should certainly b"§ amended in the direction of making the tenancy of a house erected by a local body for its own employees termiable when the occupant ceases to be an employee of the local UKy. Uder present conditions a person could accept service wi'th a local body, arid as soon as he is provided with quarters leave the employ and snsp his fingers at his landlords -when Requested to give up the occupancy m the ..house. This might mean that the local body would require to erect a new house with every change in the personnel of its staff, *and while it woulda thereby, noj doubt be doing good work in assisting in of the housing problem, it wolild not be a satisfactory position for the ratepayers.—Waikato Times.