54. Mrs. Manningasked the Minister of Agriculture whether tenants occupying cottage homesteads on Land Settlement Association estates will be allowed to purchase their houses in view of the fact that some of the estates are being purchased by local authorities within whose areas they are situated.
Mr. T. WilliamsThe future of these housing estates is under discussion with the local authorities concerned but no decisions have been taken. As the cottage homesteads were acquired with the aid of public funds for the relief of unemployment, I would prefer they should now pass to the local authorities, subject of course to existing tenancies, and become part of the general housing pool. The wishes of some of the tenants to purchase the properties they occupy will however be borne in mind.