HOUSING AND SLUMS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 196, 17 May 1944, Page 10

HOUSING AND SLUMS

Mr. Roberts Replies To Mr. Appleton LACK OF POLICY CHARGED

No public man had ever, to the best of his knowledge, trotted <> ut - s< ?. “““Z euses as Mr. Appleton for failure to B et thin-s done said Sir. J. Roberts, Labour candidate for the Wellington mayopi y, and also for the harbour board, m ad drpqses at Te Aro ana Kelbuin last night Large audiences followed with interest his remarks, particular y ose on housing, slum clearance and trims nort He said the issue boded down to whether the electors were content with I party which had little else to <>ger eept excuses for failure to do things or desired a council with a policy. Mr. Appleton did not advocate a on these matters; he did not attack La' our’s policy, but was forever bubbles and excuses, said Mr. l {ob «£; In an effort to throw a w heri n» across the trail last week, Mr. Apple ton’s colleague, Mr. Hisiop, suggiested the Government should he blamed t the council were to be blamed, but that excuse had been exposed in its true ligntNo essential railway or bus services had been cut for Hutt \ alley residents. Residents of Ngaio, Khandallah, and John sonville had a far better service than that running to Aro Street. The Government had never refused any corporation i New Zealand either tyres on fuel where they were necessary to convey people to InT from work. The Wellington City Council, however, had curtailed bus r services because some did uot P*lJ. made the war situation an opportunity to take this action. , Mr. Appleton’s latest excuse was that the city council had no power to clear slums, that it was a matter for the Government.. Bankrupt of policy, Mr. Appleton had desperately looked tor an excuse or someone to blame. Hie plain facts were that the, council had all the authority it required to take action m the matter. The Government had no power to built without permits approved by the council. Only recently ■ the Government had sought to build m Adelaide Road, but the council refused and had granted a factory permit instead. ' . Those excuses would go on if Mr. Appleton and his supporters were returned. They had been going on for years. The housing shortage and the need for slum clearance were not problems of the moment. They had existed for upward 0f.40 years. Mr. Roberts-asked his audiences to inquire who owned most of these slum properties and then ask themselves if it were likely to suit the present city controllers ever to effect slum clear--3 Mr Roberts dealt further with the housing conditions to which his notice had been drawn at Newtown and repeated that he would placard the gates and front doors with the names of the owners. It was criminal, he said, that people should have to live under such conditions. Inspectors had told the occupants the houses were insanitary. They had reported back to the council and the council had auv thority to compel the owner to take suitable action. Why had that not been to a question where would he accommodate the occupants if these houses were condemned. Mr. Roberts said it was surprising how easily ordinary citizens would fall for this excuse, because it had been the excuse put forward for rears. Had past councils tried to build houses to meet these tragic circumstances? A positive and not a beitativt outlook was wanted. Past councils had had opportunity time after time to take suitable action. In the depression years the excuse was finance, but money could be found for war. for the destruction ot humanity. Always there were excuses put forward. Labour had a policy m the matter. It was for the electors to say whether they wanted a policy or excuses. , , Another of Mr. Appleton s excuses related to tram services, track maintenance and the labour shortage. Early m the war experienced permanent way repairers were being released on the grounds that the industry was not essential, but the true position was that the council lacked adequate material.- It had “socked away" £55,000 and now had approximately £500.000 in the reserves account. Lack of foresight had brought about the present position where the tracks were dangerous. On December 11, 1040, the council made application to the Price Tribunal for an increase in tram fares. liiey asked that one-section concession tickets be reduced from eight rides for 1/- to seven rides for 1/-, , and that Sunday fares be increased by Id. a trip with a maximum of 6d. a trip, on the ground that renewals were necessary. The Wellington Trades and Labour Council derided to oppose these demands. After full investigations, the council was not allowed to increase fares because the gross balance in the revenue account was £108,856 on an expenditure of £3BS,L>4, equal to 28 per cent. The Price Tribunal found further that the reserves for re- ' newals were already sufficiently high, to meet any expenditure in that connexion which the city council wouid undertake, and finally the Appeal Board pointed out that £200,000 of loan money could be easily redeemed out of *the £-104,000 reserves, and thereby reduce interest payments by £lO,OOO. But for the action of the trade union movement and the decision of the Price Tribunal, tram fares would hare been increased. * Mr. J. Arthurs said last night that he possessed ample documentary evidence to show that the National Party was officially interested in the municipal elections. The document which had; come into his possession was an official instruction from a branch of the National Party to its members. “This document strikes the cloak of hypocrisy, from the opponents of Labour, who, while damning the straight-forward manner in which the Labour Party contests local body elec; tions. pose as ‘non-party’ candidates, said Mr. Arthurs. “It exposes their attempts to mislead the people as to their real identity.’’ Mr. Arthurs said that more would be heard of the matter.