Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1939. AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 February 1939, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1939. AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM.

'TAKING account of the slow population increase in recent X vears and of some other factors, it. might be thought that the" provision of an adequate supply of dwellings should present no very -serious difficulty in this country, hi actual fact the housing problem is assuming if anything a more serious aspect as time goes on. Apart from the acute shortage of dwellings in the main centres of population, houses available to new tenants in provincial towns in the Wairarapa. and elsewhere are, becoming very scarce indeed.

Hio-li costs, the Fair Rents Act, and fears that the operation of this or similar legislation may be extended, are commonly blamed for the existing state of affairs. Owners of a considerable number of houses are willing to sell their properties, but not to let. them, and instances are not uncommon in which sales have been blocked by the impossibility of obtaining pos session in time from occupying tenants.

As a whole, the existing position in regard to housingwears many of the aspects of a deadlock. High costs are doing a. good deal to discourage people who in other circumstances mio-ht be able to raise loans and have houses built for themselves and, for reasons which have been touched upon, the erection of houses to be let is steadily, if not rapidly, declining in favour. A lowering of building costs appears to be one essential contribution to a solution of the problem, but how this reduction is to be brought about is not at present clear.

The erection of dwellings by the State is doing something to ease the position, but as yet it falls very far short of pioviding a solution of the housing problem. Though they arc not by any means as cheap as they were at first intended to be, the State houses are snapped up eagerly as they become available and in most places there appears to be a long list of waiting applicants.

Following on a discussion of the question at the Labour Party caucus last week, it was announced by the Prime Minister that everyone (at the caucus) was of opinion that immediate steps should be taken to bring skilled building tradesmen from abroad and to train more New Zealanders for Hie building trade as well. “It. was felt,” Mr Savage stated, “that unless some such action were taken it would be impossible to overtake the arrears of years iwthe construction of houses.’ The gravity and difficulty of th'e problem are sufficiently emphait’s being spoken of in these terms by the head of a Labour Government entering on its fourth year of office.

It is hardly Io be expected that the erection and Jetting of dwellings by the State will provide a. solution of the total housing problem of the Dominion. The importation ol tradesmen to expedite the erection of these and other dwellings appears to be fully warranted, however, provided the most is also made of every opportunity of training New Zealanders as building trade workers.

The training in this way of youths, young men,.and even older men who are less advantageously employed, should be a very important coniriltution to the solution that is needed. Very large sums are still being spent in subsidising the employment of men who would otherwise be included in the lists of unemployed. Much ol this subsidised employment presumably is in other branches of industry than building. In these circumstances a coiicenlralion of subsidies on the training of men in the building trades should enable a large proportion of these men Io look forward to normal and nnsubsidised employment.

a\ heavy demand lor dwelling's opens the way in some measure to large scale' operations in which it should be quite possible to include in working groups and parties considerable numbers of unskilled or partly skilled men. Much 01. the work could lie divided into specialised sections and men under training, passing at due intervals from one section to another, could in no very long time acquire a sufficient range of. working experience and' capability to enable them to secure continuing employment without assistance from the State in the way 01. jt subsidv on their wages. In the extent to which training is carried out on these lines, demands on the public liimls will be lightened and additional labour will be made available whore most needed. There should be no question of objections being raised bv industrial unions on account of a variation ol normal conditions of training, lor it seems likely to be long enough before the acute- shortage of building trade workers can lie overcome. While it may be necessary to import some tradesmen from overseas, it should be agreed generally that. New Zealanders capable of being trained as building trade workers ami now less advantageously employed have first claim to consideration.