Workers’ Swelling’s Bill.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42768, 22 August 1905, Page 2

Workers’ Swelling’s Bill.

A bill entitled “An Act to make better provision for th© erection of Workers’ dwellings be enacted by the General Assembly, of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, and by authority of the same as follows : —l. The short title of this .“ The Work* era’ Dwelling’s Act, 1905.” 2. In this Act, if not inconsistent with the context, Lessee ’’ includes the legal representatives of a deceased lessee. “Minister” means the Minister of Labour: “ woiker ” means any adult person employed for hire or reward m manual or other work. Workert’ d wellin’g ” includes land not exceeding one acre surrounding any dwelling, and all outbuildings and sanitary aud drainage arrangments necessary for rich dwellings 3 (1) The Governor may from time to time by Order in Council gazetted, set apart for the purposes of the Act any Crown Land or any land acquired under “The

Land for Settlement Consolidation Act, 1900.” (2) Paragraphs one and two of section thirteen of “ The Land for Settlements Consolidation Ac* 1900 ” are hereby repealed 4. (1) On any land so set apart the Minister may cause to be erected buildings suitable for workers’ dwellings, or may cou*> vert any buildings into workers’ dwellings, and may from time to time alter, enlarge, repair and improve such dwellings provided cost of erection or construe i ,n shall not in the case of any workers’ dwelling exceed three hundred pounds. All costs incurred under this section shall be defrayed out of moneys appropriated by Parliament for that purpose in case of ordinary Crown Lands, and out of money to Credit off a* Land for Settlement to account, in case of lands acquired undor “ The Land for Settlement Consolidation Act 1900” (5) Subjeot to provision of this Act, every dwelling shall be disposed of by the

Land Board by way of lease for the period of fifty years with right of renewal as heiein after appear. (0) Every application for a workers’ dwelling shall be in such form and shall contain such particulars as are prescribed by the regulations, including in every case thesta'om'nt that he desires, or does not desire to acquii e the fieeh >ld of his workers’ dwellings and if he does so desire, a further statement of the mode in which he desires to exercise ouch right. (7) Each applicant shall satisfy the Land Board that he is (a) a worker as herein defin* d and (b) Land-less (meaning thereby that at the date of his application h© is not either by himself, or jointly with any other person, the owner in fee simple, or the tenant or occupier under a Iras® for a term whereof less than two years are unexpired, of any land in New Zealand exceeding Qne quarter of an acre in the case of urban or subiuban land, or exceeding fifty acres in all, or avaluethree hundred pounds in the case of rural land, and with respect to every lease under this Act the following provisions shall apply : (a). The payments under the lease shall be payable monthly in advance, and shall be at the rate of five per cent per annum on the capital value of the workers’ dwellings (being f »ur per centum for rent and one per cent for depreciation), in addition to the cost of insuring the building from fire at its full insurable value, provided that where the lessee desires to acquire the freehold and so states in his ap-

plication, rent shall be at such rate as is herein af r er mentioned (b). Such capital value shall be fixed by the Minister, and shall cover the capital value of the land, the cost (if any), of its acquisition, the cost of survey, roading, subdivision, and other works and operations done on the land (including the cost of erection of the dwelling), the proportion of the value of so much of the land as is absorbed by roads or street, and the estimated cost of administration, (c) The lease shall contain a provision that the lessee ' may, at any time before the expiration, "f his time, have a new lease for a further term of fifty years containing the same covenants and provisions (including this present provision) at a rent tc be fixed by valuation made by three independent persons, one to be appointed by the Minister, one by the lessee, and a third by ,the two persons so appointed, (d) The lease shall also contain such powers, conditions, and covenants, as subject to regal 1 ations the Minister thinks fit to prescribe, including in every case a covenant to the land, the cost (if any)

of its acquisition, the cost of survey, roading, subdivision,»and other work and operations done on the land including the cost of erection of the dwelling, the proper proportion of the value of so much of the land as is absorbed by roads or streets, and the estimated cost of administration (c) The lease shall contain a provision that the lessee may at any t me before the expiration of his time have resided in the worker’s dwelling and also a covenent to maintain and keep all buildiugs and erectious in good order and condition to the satis-* faction of the Land Board; (1) Every lesson of a worker’s dwelling may acquire the freehold in fee simple of his 11 welling in such one of the following modes as he specifies in his application made by payment in cash ot the capi al value thereof, and at auy time not less than twenty-five years from the date of his lease, in which case the payments under the lease shall be at the rate of six per cent, per annum, , on I he capital value of the worker’s dwelliug, (being live per cont. for rent, and one per cent, for depreciation) \u ndditiou te the cost of insuring the dwelling fr on tire at its full insurable value, or mode b, by payment’. of the capital value by monthly , payments extending (at the option of ; lessee) over a period of thirty-two < years, or forty-otto years, in which i case the payments under the lease J shall bo at the rate of 7 per cent, per 1 annum <>n bn pi ml value (boiugeix per 3 cunt, for rout, uud ou© per uout, for

depreciation) in addition to cost of in* surance as aforesaid or mod® A and by an insurance 6n - his life aB provided by section hereof. (2) The mouth y payments under mode B shall in addition to th© rent reserved by the lease and shall be payable as rent. The amount of such monthly payments shall be computed as follows. (a) If the period is thirty-two years, then at the rate of two per cent, per annum on the capital value of the worker’s dwelling fixed as afoiesaid, or t h) Ir fo , iy.-cn' y* ars, theu at the rate of one-and a halt per cent, per annum, then if the least • desires to ad >pt mode b the following provisions shall apply : (a) He 8 a insure his life with the Government Insurance Deportment for the amount of capital value of the worker’s dwell® iug, such insurance .-hull b« for any» e»m prescribed for mode a or b, mttie end of which he desires freehold and si.all be at such yearly premium as nay be pr< s ribed by the Insurance Dap xrtmeut, so as to p n * duce at the expiration of such < ertn, or on his death before such expiry, the amount insured. (o) The pre> miuin shall be regulatly paid by tbe lessee and the insurance polioy shall he deposited with the Land Board(d) On the maturing of the policy, the policy moneys shall be paid to the Board. 11 Whenever the full ;v amount of capital value as aforesaid is paid, tbe lease shall (if the rent and other payments if any due under the lease have been paid and the Land Board is satisfied that conditions contained in lease have been duly ob<« served and performed) determine, and the lessee shall be entitled to receive from the District Land .Registrar a certificate of title for his worker fl dwelling. 12. The owner for the time being shall reside therein, and if he fails so to do, the Minister may direct... hat the certificate of title be cancelled, and the District Land Register, on re» c *ipt of such drestions, sba’l cancel -uch certificate accordingly, and the dwelling shall thereupon revert in. The lease or freehold of any worker s dwelling shall be valid except with - tho consent of the Land Board. (2) ; The Land Board, fin giving or withholding such consent, shall be guided by tbe purpose and intention of this .. Aot to provide and protect homes.,for ■ workers and their families. (3) For the purpose ef this section “ disposition ” includes sale, assignment, leaße t sub-lease, mortgage or will. 14.. (1) , local authority within whose jurisdiction and worker’s dwellings are si'uate, may at any time by special., order, declare its willingness to under* take management and «.O mol of such worker’s dwellings, and thereupon the Minister may, if he thinks fit, by notice in the Gazette, vest such management and control in the local authority, subject to the provisions of this Act.' (2) The Minister may at any time thereafter (if satisfied that the local authority is not properly managing such , dwellings) revoke ,r such notice, and on the gaze ting of such revocation the manag ment and „ control of the dwellings shall revest in the Land Board. 15. The gazetting of any notice under the last preceding .. section, vesting the management and ontrol of any worker’s dwellings in a i cal authority, the capital value of -inch dwellings fixed as af >rosaid or so innch thereof as then remains unpaid by lessees, shall be deemed to have * been advanced to the local authority by the C donial Treasurer under the Local Bodies Loans Act, 1901, and provisions that the Act shall extend -; and apply accordingly. 16. All, moneys received under this Act shall he paid into the Public Account nnl -hall, in the case of Crown Lauds, f irm part of the consolidated fund, and in c ise of land acquired under Land, for Settlements Consolidated \c‘, 1900, be credited to the Land for Settlements Account. 17 The Governor may, by Order in Council, havo * izatted such regulations nut inconsistent with this Act,' as may bejnecessary to tho effectual carrying out of this Act. 18. The Minister shall, within 20 days after the commencement of each session, lay before Par- ■ iament a statement for the preceding financial year showing (a) The moneys expended during the preceding finanjial year in acquiring land under this Act, and in preparing the same for workers’ dwellings, and in erecting t»uch dwellings; and (B) the number of dwellings erected, the total number of dwellings leased, and thenuinber of dwellings leased under Section 9 here* of. 19. Section 50 of The Land for S ttlement Consolidation Act, 1900, is hereby rep led.