FLATS FOR WORKERS.

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 8, 10 July 1923, Page 7

FLATS FOR WORKERS.

Tehemohi'.lioiikes for. city workers-will, m the opinion of. the Minister of Labour (the Hon. G. J. Anderson), be about t{io only, means ,of mcoting/ the' Wueb shortage in the metropolitan areas where people have to get to their work.in the early hours of-the"morning.' Dealing with tlie housing question yin the House of Representatives last "night-,: lie'said , that such a problem had arisen in Wellington when tlie site was being cleared for the new match factory in Lome and Argyll streets. Some of. the people.thore had been averse to "taking houses ; at Miramar, because by so doing- they would not have been able to get into the city in the early morning hours. To get over that difficulty was a matter for city councils or private individuals. He thought that the only thing to do would be to erect large flats in the centre of the cities, with playgrounds for the children in the vicinity. He did not carefor the idea at a 11,,, for it was obvious to everyone that a. cottage, with'a piece of land attached for a garden, "was the ideal to be aimed at. But so long as there were congested areas and people anxious to get to work in the early hours, he could see nothing else for it but large flats in the city areas, with; playgrounds nearby. Ho'could see no other way out of it,. because land ..was too valuable in the centre of tlie cities to allow of separate houses being built »■ Mi. XV. E. Parry.".(Auckland Central)' was surprised at the Minister's suejrestion, and thought it would have- been! as wdl;if the: Minister had left it out of the discussion.: He had suffident'fatth m the Prime Minister to believe that U would not support a system of flats' to overcome the difficulty" »H *& t -nT ttongi'-ttid Mr P Err y that wdl disgrace the work of any Gol-

giving of a license, as it were, for the Building of, flats to overcome the house shortage. There is one thing of which I am certain in this world, .'and that is that no matter what future state of society ,we will rise to, it will be necessary for each pewon to have their own Some and- their, own,.playground. Let me say/.that in .the closing ye.ars of the I?rime Minister's political. career it will not altogether do him justice for him to finish,up. by establishing a system of flats for the working people of New Zealand." ■

■ Sir John Luko (Wellington 'North) also condemned the proposal. The semidetached homes such as were to be seen at Bournville were very nice, but flats did not secure all the essentials of a good home life. X[n a country with only a ..little over,-a million of a population it'was no compliment to say that there wao not enough money with which to ibuild houses for the workers.