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HOUSING _SCREMES.]
WORKING DETAILS.
States to be Responsible.
Mr Needham (Lab, Perth) asked
the Premier (Mr WIllcock) in the
Legislative Assembly last night if an'
agreement was reached at the recent'
conference of Commonwealth and
state Ministers to the effect that the'
States would be responsible for the
detailed administration of the Gov
ernment-sponsored 0,0.00 houses? 1
The Premier said that an under
standing between the Commonwealth
and States was reached at the recent
Premiers' Conference regarding a'
proposal to build a limited number
of houses during the war period. The
total number of houses to be built
was not fixed, but a quarterly al
location among the States would '
made by the Commonwealth Gov
ernment, the number allocated being
dependent on the progress of the
building programme and the avail
ability of manpower and material
The States would be responsible for
the administration of the scheme.
subject to some control by the Com
monwealth Government which was
sharing with the States any loss in
volved.
Local government authorities
would not participate in any way in
administration. He understood that
a conference of Commonwealth and
State officers would be convened to
discuss the non-assisted programme
of 20,000 houses. He did not know
whether it was proposed to discuss
what part local governing authori
ties would play in the administration
of that scheme. As the conference
wguld be called by the Common
wealth Government, he could not say
when it would be held but when e
was in Canberra recently he was
informed that it was hoped to hold it
before the end of 1944.
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