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Summary of Votes under the Control of the Minister of Works and Proposed Ways and Means of raising the Necessary Funds, Year ending 31st March, 1949

The miscellaneous receipts estimated to be credited to the Public Works Account for the year ending 31st March, 1949 (excluding £250,000 on account of public buildings, and £75,000 on account of soil conservation and rivers control works), amount to £878,900, and it is estimated that a sum of £3,763,100 will be recovered on account of votes —- Maintenance of Public Works and Services, and Highways Maintenance. HOUSING The Government's policy of giving priority to housing over all other classes of building has continued, and this will be its accepted policy until every family, pakeha and Maori, is properly housed. Reasonable and adequate shelter for families is a prime necessity. It is most gratifying that the Government's efforts in this direction resulted in a record number of houses being completed during the year ended 31st March, 1948. Hereunder are quoted the official figures : . State rental houses .. .. .. .. .. 2,875 State departmental houses .. .. .. .. 693 Maori houses .. .. .. .. .. .. 200 Private and local-body houses .. .. .. .. 8,966 12,734 Transit housing— Local bodies' units .. .. .. .. 164 Public Works Department units .. .. .. 113 Post and Telegraph Department units .. .. 172 State Hydro-electric Department units .. .. 8 State Forest Service units .. .. .. .. 10 467 Hostels — Miners' Hostel, Reefton : accommodation for .. .. 58 persons. Post and Telegraph hostels : accommodation for .. 473 „ Immigrants' hostels: accommodation for .. .. 1,062 ~ State Forest Service Hostel: accommodation for .. 12 „ Total hostel accommodation completed for .. 1,605 „

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Vote. Public Works Account: Loans. Consolidated Fund. Total. £ £ £ Railway-construction 180,000 180,000 Housing construction 8,024,926 8,024,926 Public buildings 1,350,000 250,000 1,600,000 Lighthouses and harbour-works 25,000 25,000 Roads &c. 415,000 415,000 Soil conservation and rivers control 375,000 75,000 450,000 Irrigation, water-supply, and drainage .. 370,000 370,000 Highways construction 1,750,000 1,750,000 Highways maintenance .. ' .. 3,661,089 3,661,089 Maintenance of public works and services 6,607,986 6,607,986 12,489,926 10,594,075 23,084,001