THE HOUSING PROBLEM

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 86, Issue 7, 30 June 1944, Page 4

THE HOUSING PROBLEM

DAILY, there is growing evidence of the desperate shortage of houses in Whakatane. Within a year or so, with the men coming back from overseas the position will be mag" nified many times, and as a result the commercial life of the town must suffer materially on account of skilled operators being unable to accept positions in the absence of accommodation for their families. We cannot see the force of the Borough Council's argument in turning down the very constructive suggestion of the Deputy-Mayor (Cr S. S. Shapley) who proposed the establishment of Army Huts as a temporary measure to meet the position. All the: points raised by councillors who argued against the proposal are sound enough were the times normal —the undesirability of temporary dwellings; the limited space for families etc. We agree most heartily, but as the sponser pointed out, they are surely better than the bare earth. According to Cr Canning there is a waiting list of one Hundred applicants for State houses alone. When the boys come home we can expect to see this number double or even treble. It will be utterly impossible to meet the demand, with the whole of the Dominion in a like position.

And yet, we hope to give our heroes a grand welcome home « plus the prospects of being able to settle down as most of them will want to do. Unless we can offer them temporary housing until their own homes are built, we can offer them nothing. What is to prevent the council making application for say twenty or thirty of these substantial huts and setting them up in the Domain as suggested. The Government is offering them right and left to all deserving organisations for a mere song, and yet, we are shortsighted enough to hold ourselves aloof in the argument that the huts are not fit to serve as homes. The same meeting empowered another organisation to erect Army Huts on a site fronting the main street. It seems contradictory to note, the stand made by the council against an obvious suggestion which must be received with singular gratitude by future citizens until homes are built to absorb them. When their period of usefulness has come to an end there need likewise, be no fear that the handy Army huts will go amiss.

Kirkbride's Road! Fencing "What do wc pay engineer's for?" enquired Cr McCready at the last meeting of the Wha'katane County Council, when the question arose of the necessity to re-align the newly erected fence line. "This road has cost us enough already and I consider a mistake like this uncalled for." It was pointed out to the irate councillor that the new line which had been amicably agreed upon was an improvement on the old and that, the -mistake had been due to two sets of pegs. 1

National War Savings Twenty-four places recorded National War Savings quota successes last week which.., excluding the. periods of the Bomber Bonds and War Loan campaigns, is the highest total in the Hamilton postal district to date. Investments in the district for the week totalled £7016, including Rotorua £738; Hamilton £1030,; Cambridge l £364; Huntly £4.39; Matamata £307; Morrinsville £90; Ngaruawahia £1010; Otorohanga £224; Putaruru £672; Taumarunui £122; Te Awamutu £337; and Te Kuiti £492.