Town-Dwellers Only

P-NG Housing Loans For Town-Dwellers Only Pioneers Still on the Outer

IT is now easier to own a home of your own—if you live in one of the town areas in Papua-New Guinea.

Legislation which came before the May session of the P-NG Legis lative Council is now law, and it is possible to borrow up to £2,000 from the Commissioner of Housing of Papua-New Guinea (Mr. Harold H.

Reeve, who is also P-NG Treasurer) for the purpose of building, buying or enlarging a house for the owner’s own personal use.

The new legislation is well enough—as far as it goes. One may wonder, however, why it stops at the town limits. The official reason given is that the greatest housing shortage is in the towns. This may be so—but the fact is that Terri tory towns are following the pattern of Australian cities and becoming enlarged encumbrances on the more productive outport areas of the Territory.

The provision of easily repayable loans, to make it easier for a "man to own a home is surely not de signed merely for the towns—where citizens usually expect their em ployers (Administration or Big Firms) to provide them with a

house, anyway. The man who needs assistance in building himself a decent house is surely he who, in a small way, is trying to pioneer some new industry.

There must be at least a hundred men in the Highlands and on the New Guinea mainland who would be glad of the assistance offered under this new Housing scheme; but because they are out of the towns, trying to raise rice or beef or coffee or peanuts or one of a dozen other commodities, they are not eligible.

P-NG needs pioneers more ths it needs town dwellers; why nr encourage them?

U The High Commissioner for tH, Western Pacific, Mr. R. C.

Stanley, CMG, QBE, with Mr: Stanley, attended the Centenau Celebrations at Noumea on Sep tember 24. His Excellency and Mil Stanley left Honiara in the RO Kurimarau on September 15 f«3 New Caledonia.