UNWANTED HOUSES.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1921, Page 12

UNWANTED HOUSES.

£12,000.000 STATE BURDEN. The housing position of the Old Country was reviewed by Sir Alfred Mond hi a speech on the work of the Ministry of Health in the House of Commons. He said a limit of 300,000 houses had been agreed to for Government commitments. It was estimated that a loss of £6O a year would fall on the State in reapect of each house erected by the local authorities. Applying that figure to 200,000 or 300,000 houses it showed a burden of £12.000.000 to £13,000,000 a year falling on the Exchequer. In addition to that there was the grant of £15.000,000 for the subsidy on houses built private-

Mr. Stewart, of the Wirral division of Cheshire, told a story of a ‘’caravan city” on the borders of the Irish Sea in his division, it. began as a holiday camp for young people. Now there wore 1000 or more caravans there on wheels, and in a few weeks these would ,be supplemented by several thousands ‘of ten;.'. Being on wheels, the caravans escaped rates. He was told of one as big as a military hut, on specially low wheels.