MELBOURNE HAS THE VILLAGE COMPLEX

Chronicle (Levin), 19 June 1947, Page 5

MELBOURNE HAS THE VILLAGE COMPLEX

Received Wednesday, 7.55 p.m. ' MELBOURNE, June 18. Despite its present population oi more than a million Melbourne was still a viliage that might have existed a hundred years ago, said its Lora Mayor (Alderman F. R. Connolly) today. -It was a long way beh|nd other citips of the world in the art of living. The points made by Alderman Connolly were as follow: Tens of thousands of women workers were forcea to have their hair done in luncn hours and these workers must ao their shopping in the few minutes they could spend in the middle of the. day. On every holiday tens of thousands of people wandered about the city window shopping hecause it was their only chance to see what was happening in the world ot fashion and design. Hundreds had to go hungry on Sundays and - public holidays because Government regulations merely reflected ignorance of the ordinary needs of civilisation. Among the wanderers were 200,000 people who lived in hoardinghouses and rooms and had nowhere else to go hiit wander aimlessly' ahout the streets. He claimed that all this was due to the present uncivilised way of living. Ever since the city was founded the people had started work at ahout 8 a.m. and almost everything stopped at about 6 p.m. Factories1 were able to organise their staffs to work rourid the clock, so why should not retail stores, beauty salons and other places keep open at times which would allow the workers to patronise them in their' leisure? —