HOUSING PROBLEM

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 154, 25 March 1920, Page 5

HOUSING PROBLEM

TRADES HALL MEETING"

CAMPAIGN TO BE UNDERTAKEN

The housing problem was discussed at a meeting of union representatives in the Trades Hall last night. The meeting had been called, by the Labour Representation Coramitee, and the president of the committee, Mr. H. Dyson, preNearly a, hundred persons were present, a large proportion being women. The chairman Raid that the conditions . that had' made tho meeting • necessary were very grave indeed. Several organisations affiliated with tho Labour Representation Committee had decided to move in regard to housing, with tho object of bringing a scandal to a head. : It was the hope of the promoters that the outcome of the meeting would not be mere resolutions. If the meeting was going to confine itself'to a few resolutions, it might as well disperse at once./ Tho task, ahead was to find ways and means of remedying the scandal. Tho meeting should reach certain decisions and then press them to a conclusion resolutely. At this stn.ge object'on to the presence of reporters wis raised. The reporters were asked by the chairman to retire. The meeting decided that the Labour \ Press only should be admitted, and that an official report of the Proceedings should be supplied "to the daily newspapers. , An Official Report. A report supplied by the Labour Representation' Committee states _ that the meeting adopted the' following resolutions: — (1) That all emigration to New Zealand be stopped until sufficient homes are provided for the pcoplo already here, and. that the Labour organisations,' tho v Labour Press, and the leading daily newspapers •of Great Britain be, communicated with, ; and that the serious housing situation be placed plainly hefore them with the object of warning all intending emigrants to New Zealand. (2) That clause 56 of the Housing Act, 1919, bo amended' so that no families can be ejected from their homes provided the ordinary conditions of tenancy are observed, until sufficient houses are ' provided by Government and municipal enterprise.' (3) That the. Public Health Depart- ■ meat be asked to put into operation immediately section 7, sub-section (c) it the 'Public Health Amendment Act, * 1919, which empowers tocal authorities to carry out necessary repairs to n dwelling house when the owner refuses to do so. . (-1) That .in- the opinion of this meeting neither the Government's housing schemes nor municipal housing schemes hold out any hope of an adenu'ato supply of houses within reasonable time. / (5) That the workers' dwellings now being erected by the Government at Miramar are not satisfactory-and will Jielp to perpetuate some of the worst features of the present housing problem.'

Non-Essential Building. . (0) That oil non-essential building be stepped in such a fashion''as would permit the workers so released to he immediately employed in the erection of dwelling houses. (7) That tho Government be asked to immediately assume control over all cement works, brick works, sawmills, and joinery works and all building material and requisites, so that sufficient supplies for house building can be assured; and that all the hardware required for the housing schemes, be imported by the Government. • ' ' (8) That building material to be used in Government and municipal housing schemes be carried' free on the railways. • •' ■ (9) That the Building Trades .Federation, be requested to formulate- a scheme for the building of all- houses in the Wellington district by day labour at current'rates of wages, and on the guild principle, as has been organised in Manchester by the Building Trades Federation there. (10) That the Government bo urged:to■ placo an adequate sum of money at tho lowest possible, rate of interest at the disposal, of, the local authorities for building purposes. . (11) That the- Government be I called upon to face .the housing problem in the same organised fashion as it carried out the provision and equipment of the Expeditionary Force, and that it should be prepared to incur expenditure - : withont monetary return, as was the case in connection with the war. ,

representatives of the Building Trades Federation stated at the meeting that in their opinion a sufficient supply of labour could'be organised. Indeed, the federation had offered to supply allnecesfary labour required by the City * ■Council in its building, schemes, but up to the present not a single application had been made .to it. The federation .was prepared, providing .power was given, to withdraw men from non-essen-tial buildings, and if the proper supply of building materials ■ was organifed, "to either provide the labour or to undsrtake the work itself. The latter had hot been definitely decided on by the federa- ' tion, hut the offer to supply day labour still stood. .:■.■'. Housing Campaign. It was decided-that the L.R-C. should embark upon a housing campaign in order to bring these proposals before tho country and the Government. The cam-paign,-it was stated, would extend over the period April 16 to May l.and longer if necessary, and would include a house-to-house canvass for signatures to.a petition, and u distribution of housing literature. Open-air meetings would be i;eld during the fortnight. The campaign would conclude with a demonstration In the Town Hall and a deputation from that meeting to the Government.