HOUSING PROBLEM

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19878, 6 May 1936, Page 8

HOUSING PROBLEM

l - v TASMANIA'S SOLUTION. ‘ ._— MINISTER DESORIIEB SCHEME. SATISFACTORY RESULTS CLAIMED. (By Telegraph—Press Association! \\’ELLINGTON. Wednesday. In View of the announcement regarding the housing made by the [tight lion. .\l. J. Savage. :1 short time ago to the effect that the li-oVE'l‘HlllUHt proposed to set aside £3.UUU.UUU tor the provision of homes. the housing activities elsewhere are of interest * and the Minister ot‘ Agriculture and Forestry in the, Tasmanian Lioyern—ment. the lion. R. Gosgrme. who or—rived by the \\'anganella to—day. \\as able to give an outline 01 “but his Government is doing. There \\'th a housing shortage in Tasmania, .\lr Uosgrove said, and the Government realised that the workers could not build homes l'or themselves without assistance. _\ housing scheme had accordingly been formulated and was working in a most satisfactory manner. ' The Government advanced 90 per cent. of the value of I homo, and the worker was expected to find the other 10 per cent. Repayments were spread over it! years for stone and brick houses and over 30 years for hardwood buildings Interest, was charged at 4} per cent.. and l per cent. “as added as rebatmenL In addition to the interest and repayment payments made by a work—er, any home owner could pay £25 or multiples of £5 into a fund administered by the Government. These amounts were not regarded as repay—ments of principal. but as savings against unemployment or other future difficulties. The Government paid 5 per cent. interest on all-moneys paid in, and a depositor could withdraw what he had paid in at any time. Although there was no restriction on withdrawals the main object of the fund was to make interest and sinking fund payments during dlfltoult times and this was observed in almost . every instance. A Limlt. Impoeed. The Government did not allow ‘ workers to build homes they could not very well pay for out of their earnings. A limit was placed on the amount any worker could borrow, and it was graduated according to the earnings of the borrower. The maxi—mum amount that could be borrowed for one home was £I2OO. but the average worker was limited to £BSO for building and land. Sections in the suburbs of Hobart could he bought for £2 a foot. so a section with a :35 foot frontage was valued at 290- During the last financial year £50,000 had been spent on housing through the Government. and it is estimated that £IOO,OOO will be spent during the present year.