WHY NOT FLATS?

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2996, 6 February 1917, Page 4

WHY NOT FLATS?

A VISITING ARCHITECT'S VIEWS/; ' Wellington, from a. residential as-" pect, is strangely' cramped.'"' Every;, visitor notices it, and most peoplo in.! Wellington know it. Ono may go; tlirough street after street, iir closoproximity to tlic city, find V3lu-j ablo sites, in some eases with, wonder-* fully attraotive outlooks, occupied bv ;l littlo dull-looking one and two-story,; houses, with, never a feature abous; them- that the occupant dan take it pride in, and nothing enough about them to reflect any fornt| of architectural beauty upon the That struck Mr. Henry E.' mite, fM Sydnoy architect and constructional en-< : ' gineer, who is visiting Wellington in.', connection with some work here. In.' the course of' conversation vath _a. Dominion representative, Mr. 'Yhito said that he wondered wliy no 0119 built modern flats in Wellington. "There is nothing more certain thart the coming 'of, flats in Wellington,'/; said Mr. "White. "The placo is ideally suited to them. The citv is cramped and congested probably like no other city in Australasia, and yet you see ideal situations five minutes .Way from the centre of the town, occupied by buildings of a past age. It is difficult to understand: In Sydney and Melbourne flats are the rage —the fashion. —and nothing could be moro comfortaoble or convenient than the way iit which tliev are arranged. Every block of new flats that go up is simply rushed by people, who are haranied by the servant question, and who find their little suites of rooms, furnished witli every modern comfort, a quiet sanctuary after the stress of keeping art, eight or nine-roomed liouso "in order.Here iu Wellington arc .vondcrful. sites for Hats, witli an outlook over the harbour that people in Me'.bournft would give, their cars to possess, _and yet J am told tliere is not a block of, flats in the whole city. .Really, tliess: fiat Quarters arc amazingly able. "Everything almost in the way of furniture is built in. Electrical de-. vices of all kinds make the work ■ of keeping them'- clean inconsiderable, and the cooking arrangements combine neatness with efficiency and cleanliness in a. way that appeals to every woman who sees them. All the blocks havo an automatic electric passenger lift, work-, ed bv pressing a button, and therS are electric goods lifts bv wliich tin tradesmen send up their goods, first calling the attention of the occupant of tho particular fiat by ringing art electric bell on the ground floor. There* are those people who like to have their own home, and'who will travel half an hour or more morning and evening: to retain, it. but on the other hand there are always those who prefer solid comfort in or near the city, with- 1 out the worry, and expense of keeping, up a large house and grounds, .Sind lti is such people who appreciate, the in* expensive luxury'of a modern fiat* Wellington will come to. realise thati in time!" Mr. White considers Wellington tha busiest city for its size in all Austra-' lasia at I,lie. present time. Things arcf not 100 good in Sydney or Melbourne just at present, and building is slack-i Mo is inclined to the belief that, ow-< ing -to'tho continuing labour troubled 011 the other side, capital is leaving the country. Labour of all kinds is consequently plentiful, and every job' is rushed. That, he notices, is fan from being the caSo iu Wellington.