SORDID CONDITIONS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10287, 23 May 1919, Page 5

SORDID CONDITIONS

MINERS’ HOMES

HON. W. D. ,S. MACDONALD ON INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

The Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, Minister for Mines, attended the Townplanning Conference yesterday and delivered a speech in which he touched on the conditions of the mining villages. - -

Mr MacDonald said that in the past public opinion had usually regarded the situation, character, and size of township and city settlement as matters outside the scope of governmental regulations. The tact that the Government had thought it necessary to call the present, conference was evidence that New Zealand did not now so regard the problem. It was true tbidt m'the past reasons ' of public healtlr and- traffic necessities led to a multitude of regulations governing s;-m----tatibn, streets, and so on, i ...t these activities had not been successful in making our towns and cities healthy, agreeable and efficient. Public conscience had been stirred by the revelations during ’ the epidemic and -the spirit of the times demanded that the problem should be faced in all its bear mgs and an effort should be made to provide the citizens of the country not only with good houses, but with good surroundings for life and work as a whole. He was of opinion that the question could best be bandied by a central body armed with adequate powers and able to get the best expert and scientific advice, 'SPECIAL STATE ACTION.

,J. jp-Sfs\v .Eeaffind . to-day we , were faced,.with„an abnormal shortage of bouses and an abnormal difficulty iu providing them on account of disorganisation of labour, scarcity of material, and higher prices. Ir we were to,. g.e.t,,rid of bad conditions and prevenlz.overcrowding special State action ,was necessary. The garden city mca formed an excellent oasis for discussion. The present was a good opportunity for the - initiation of a new policy. Large numbers of new’houses had to be placed somewhere. Wo ah hoped that New Zealand was about to ,enter on a new period in which . not 'dillJr* hcHprimary, but her secondajj;, 'resources'"would grow and develop, necessitating new factories and new workshops. Where were these nouses and factories to go? The State was forced to answer the question, and it ■was ivital-that sound-principles should -bo- agreed on-- before energy and material was directed into wrong’ chan,nels. —••-

THE HOUSING OF THE MINERS. ', r,- '' 4 *As' B 3iEnister fox- Minos, and as : ; ; d}r ( ,, WFtij 'rSjognsiblo fox - the guidance and/ control ot one of our most important ‘industries, Tam vitally interested in the whole subject," said Mr -MacDonald. ‘‘l have received an exhaustive report upon the housing,of minors, and the report discusses the bearing that the: housing of miners has upon industrial unrest and the supply of labour to the mines. The report points out ,fha<t of the industrial unrestand dissatisfaction of the miners may be attributed to the sordidness of their housing- conditions and the monotony of their home life. Few of the houses reach ft standard of comfort necessary to “ maintain the efficiency of the miner or provide decent living conditions for his wife and children. Overcrowding is rife, and there is in most of the townships an almost entire lack of sard- . drainage. No attempff has; heeii made to pre-plan the towns competent authority, nor has due cohr sideration been given to local conditions

Tile question of providing adequate housing, with a. due regard to . social conditions, must be promptly faced and answered. Bui the problem to ba solved in the mining industry is partly the problem of housing and town-plan-ning generally, and the results of your deliberations should be of material assistance'.'in arriving at a solution. A proper examination of the whole problem should, show what is possible and what is notj what is in the lino of an ordered design, and what would in the long run prove an obstruction there i to

HARMONY INSTEAD OF STRIFE.

‘■’Happily, we are not proceeding in absolute darkness. There is enough light to make it .evident in what direction we should be travelling, and also that' up to the present we have not been travelling in that direction. it wo desire that New Zealand should be peopled by a virile, healthy manhood, if we desire to see all classes working in harmony, and industrial strife and unrest replaced by peace and contentment, , t,hen .prompt attention must bo given' to seeing that all classes of the ■community; arc comfortably and decently home "in' surroundings that are as healthy'and attractive as science and 'art can make them.” J. T, Paul said that he "was ‘ exceedingly interested in the speech of the Minister, his references to industrial unrest. Mr C. J. Parr, M.P., said that town-planners would be more than . satisfied if the principles mentioned by the Minister were acted upon. URGENT REPORTS CAI/LED FOR. Several important matters were discussed at the meeting of the Board of Health yesterday, when there were present the Minister for Public Health, the Hon. G. W. Russell, Dr. T. H. A. Valintine (chief health officer), Dr. L. Ferguson. (Dunedin), Dr. F. W. Gordon (Auckland), Dr. J. S. 'Elliott '(Welling-'- ‘ ton)., the. Hon. J. Barr (Christchurch), Mr .William Ferguson-pand Mr G. P. Newton (Wellington), and Mr C, J. Drake (secretary). A resolution was carried recommending the'.Minister .to obtain from the health .officers .throughout the TJpipipipn, at the earliest possible date, a report regarding the housing, water supply., and drainage of each mining .township in-their districts, such reports to be treated as urgent, and to be available, if possible, for the nest meeting of the. board.