HOUSING SCHEME

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21369, 13 March 1941, Page 2

HOUSING SCHEME

HELP FOR YOUNG COUPLES NEW SOUTH WALES PLANS (Times Air Mail Service) SYDNEY, March 4 In a speech at a U.A.P. meeting at Oatley last night, the Premier, Mr Mair, said that he would announce shortly a State plan lor building 5000 homes, 1000 of' which would be reserved for newly married couples, and 400 for soldiers’ wives and families. He also revealed that the New South Wales Government would hand back to the Loan Council £1,000,000, which the State had not used out of its last allocation. “In the last three years,” he said, “the co-operative building societies have built 16,000 homes under Government guarantee. I doubt whether this money would have been advanced under a Labour administration. “In a recent new housing plan, provision was made for 1000 homes for low wage workers. Plans for the building of 980 of them are complete. Housing is our foremost social problem. “The provision of more houses will help to cure our falling birthrate. We could never expect to hold Australia with a population of 7,000,000. We would not deserve to hold it. Lifting Tax Burden “I will always be remembered by the people as the one who brought in terrific loads of taxation during my term as Premier. This was against my principles, as I believe it is wrong to reduce the purchasing power of the people, but money had to be found somehow. We had 50,000 people on the dole and 50,000 more registered unemployed. There was only one course open, but I pledge my word that these tax burdens will be removed when it is possible to do so. “In the last seven months we have made three reductions in taxation.' Next week the Treasurer will tell the House that the Government intends to take off £1,000,000 more. If the Commonwealth Government proceeds with its family endowment scheme, the fiances of the State Government in New South Wales will be relieved to such an extent that in 18 months nearly all the extra taxation burdens will have been removed