THE HOUSING BILL

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1919, Page 5

THE HOUSING BILL

ITS MAIN FEATURES. '■■, (By Wire.—Own Correspondent). Wellington, Oct, TO. The Housing Bill has been introduced. ; ■ The plan of administration follows Hu>'"\ existing legislation- There is. to be ft superintendent to control the ftotitities, , a deputy-superintendent, and a. board tA ; be called a Housing Board, but it is also ' provided that the present superintendent j and deputy-superintendent of workers" • dwellings, and the present Workers' > Dwellings Board are to administer this Act. Power is asked for to appoint men additional officers as may from time totime be found necessary. The Government may set aside any Crown land not specially reserved for any other purpose, or any land acquired under the Land for Settlement Act. Tie Board may purchase any lands or may . purchase dwellings. The Board may, with the approval of the Minister, eause dwellings to be erected on any land'acquired or set apart for. housing purposes. The dwellings are to be disposed of by the Board under sale or lease. The in. come limit applicable to persons acquiring houses under this part of the Act is iked at £225 per annum, but if a man has more than two children or other de« pendents his limit is extended by £BO in respect of every such child or dependent in excess of two. For the purposes of reckoning, children may be counted while of less than sixteen years of age, and 1 the wife or husband is not to be counted as a dependent. The maximum income of an applicant from all sources must not. exceed £305 per annum. It is provided that the cost of any dwelling to be disposed of under ibis part of the Act shall not. exceed £7SO in the case of a wooden house, and £BSO in any other case. A deposit of £lO is ' to be required of the purchaser, and the whole purchase money has. to be repaid over a period, subject to, & reduction by one half per cent, for prompt payment. An agreement to purchase may be cancelled by the Board if the purchaser makes default. No dwelling acquired under this part of the Act may be disposed of without consent of the Board, and if the prospective buyer is a person not qualified under the Act to benefit by the scheme, the Board must refer the application to the Minister. Houses may be let by the Board on a monthly tenancy or for any shorter term. Power is to be given to the Board to advance to the purchaser of any dwelling sums not exceedinga total of '£loo. In any case foj fencing, draining, cultivation, or the general improvements of the land appurtenant to the building. For the purposes of this part of the Act (providing only for the erection and sale of houses by. the Government through the Housing Board) provision is made for the borrowing of £750,000 annually. Power is taken to make regulations for certain obvious purposes. Part two of the Bill deals with the proposals for the establishment of special settlements for public servants. Any incorporated society of officers in the public service may make application to the Minister for the approval of a scheme for the formation of a village settlement or a garden suburb. If the land required is Crown land, it mar be set apart for the scheme, and if it is privnte land the Government may 'purchase it. There is no provision for the erection of dwellings by the State under (his scljeme, but an advance may be obtained by the purchaser of any holding ! up to the amount of 90 per cent of the value of his subdivision. For the purposes of this part of the Act the pro-, posal is that £250,000 may be borrowed.' Part three of the Act is that dealing with loans to employers who may desire to erect houses for persons in their employ. The only provision against the exploitation of the State under this section is that in no case shall the advance to be given exceed 75 per cent, of the value of the security offered. The borrowing proposal under this section is for £250.000. " The two other parts of the Bill relate to the scheme for the erection of work. , crs' dwellings by local bodies, and for the purposes of this scheme Harbor Boards are to be considered to be local bodies. There is one restriction npon the activity of Harbor Boards, however. that they are to be allowed to build houses only for their own permanent employees. Local bodies are to be empowered to borrow from the State Advances Office for the purpose of erecting workers' dwellings, but there is no re- 1 striction that these dwellings may be (lisooscd only to employees of the 'local body concerned Fpr this part of the scheme it is proposed to borrow one million per annum.