WORKERS’ DWELLINGS.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 June 1919, Page 6

WORKERS ’ DWELLINGS.

«SCHEMES SCORE EXTENDED.’ EARNING LIMIT OF (£225. V WELLINGTON, June 14 The superintendellt :of workers’ dwellings, Mr F. W. Rowley, announced tfio-day than authority had been received for the erection of 200 vrorkcrs’ dwellings, and -also for the receipt of applications from wzorkers earning salaries up to £225 per aunum. Formerly nf'o application from persons earning more than “£175 per annum could be entertained, so that fixing of the new limit af £225 represents an impol‘tallt widening of the department’s ucfivities. -'

“The depal'tnlent,’.’ said Mr Row? Icy, “is ‘instructing its agents through out the Dominion at fence to allow a fortnight for the submission of ful'tll‘eii' applications for these dwellings. It It has not two hundred‘ applications in hand at present possibly because th.c former conditions of eligibility excluded the majority of workers in this country, or because people knew that the departnlent was unable to proceed with the constructilon of many homes on account of the high cost of m;at.erial. The departnlent’s agents will report upon the applicants who come forward, and the \V‘ol'kers’ Dwellings Board in Wellington will then deal with each application, approving or rejecting it. In each case close inquiry will be unade to ensure that the applicant is of good character. and likely to carry out his financial and other obligations to tlle board. Having so dealt with the applications the board will -allocate the 200 dwellings. to different towns according to the demand. Precedence annong approved applicants will be determined ‘by the order in which applications have been received.

"‘lt is probable that only two or three types of dwellings will be erected, since the departnient is anxious to introduce :1 measure of standardisation arid so economise on the cost of erection. As I have stated before, the department hopes to be able to build in concrete rather than in wood because concrete. though dearer at first.‘ is in the long run cheaper than wood. We !are at. present. investigating quite :1 >lm'g'e unmber of proposed systems of construction. Hoving called for ‘lll(l reeeivml tenders for the building‘ of 200 houses the department will ascertain whether the prices are reasonable am] \\'lletllel' the applicants will be able to make payineiits involved. It mrrv be explained that weekly instalments p-I_\'-able on concrete houses are based upon t he repaymr.mts of the principal in 36; years. They amount to 6 per "(ant with rates. insurzmce, uni"! maintenance. bringing them up to 7 ‘(Or cent in all. Tlllls on a eonerets l'2o:1~:e (rosting £750. thenpplicant. would have to pav £1 per week. The period of repayment of the principal on wooden dwellings is only 25% per years, so the rate is necessarily higher than that for repayment upon (concrete dwellings_ It. amounts to 7 per cent, plus rates, insurance and liiaiirteiiaheé; in all to about per cent. Therelfore, on I', wooden (lwelling e_o.<tiil§_};, gay’; £7OO, the weekly payment would be‘ 255 per week. |

" “It roniains to be seen whether when the cost of building is so high the department can obtain -fenders sufficicntly low to enable it to erect houses at a figure within the statutory limit of £750 for house and secfion, ,and at a_figure the applicants will be able to pay. To a.Voi(‘l monotony in the appearance of its houses the J - partment proposes to distribute them about in twos and threes and vary their appearance slightly.” Any person desiring to make an application for xa. worker’s dwo]lin’l Should lodge his application wifh the Ofiiccr in Charge of the local c,f‘fico oi’ the Labour Deparfmonf, Soi';_;0:111f l\lzlttllcws, not later ‘rhan rho lsi‘ July. Application forms and full particulars are olifainable from tho ofiico of" the Labour Department.