THE HOUSING QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1641, 7 January 1913, Page 7

THE HOUSING QUESTION.

:' : . ; ,v/V" t'. '■'-:; . '_.;'. -^ AS VIEWED BY THE GENERAL ;, LABOURERS' UNION. ; , "The: question of' an inoreaso in. the rate of wages has been the main item of consideration with our organisation, but if we can turn our attention to means; wherebythe expense of living could be eeriously grappled'with,'we will achieve better results than wo -have, been doing in devoting, all our, attention to the wages question."' states, tho of. the General Labourers' Union in the unions annual report; "In. any. case, progress through wage increases is very slow, ,and does not admit of continued and sustained activity. ' ■ . ' .... TApart altogether from the mere, wages question, there is much to be done through .the local bodies to improve workings- class Conditions. Slum areas of a oity are created by the;greed of landlordism. ; Of necessity, the poorest paid workers in the community aro the persons forced into the cheapest and most congested living areas. These congested districts may be improved, and the workers' lot bettered by a sane local government.- -.■■.■'■■'. . ■ "In this connection, the. report continued, "it might be well to ask why. some scheme could not bo devised whereby some of the useless, town lauds, which are now an eyesore .round the city, could be utilised for buitding homes for corporation labourers. Much of bur Town Belt Will never be of any value for'recreation purposes, and! might well be put to better use than it is at present, or ia oyer likely to be, in its existing state.".. , j